Falling For You
by Laynie
Summary: It's a summer without Miranda, and Gordo's falling for Lizzie even more every moment he spends with her. Does she feel the same way about him, and how will things turn out? My first Lizzie fanfic.
1. Sweet Summer Days and Beginnings

"I'll miss you so much this summer, Miranda! Two months, it seems like forever. And Mexico is so far away! What am I going to do without you?" Lizzie McGuire exclaimed sadly as she threw her arms around her best friend Miranda Sanchez.  
  
"It's not forever, Lizzie! I won't forget about you, you won't forget about me. Besides, I've got a computer. You can always email me when you need to talk about anything, alright? I know it's not the same but it will have to do. I don't want to go to Mexico without you guys." Miranda's chin fell as she looked at her two best friends, Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon, more affectionately called Gordo by all his friends. "I'll miss you two so much. Make sure you keep me posted on what happens all summer."  
  
With that last statement, Miranda took one last look at her best friends, gave Lizzie and Gordo a hug and waved her farewell as she walked towards Gate 25B, where she'd be leaving for Mexico to stay with her aunt all summer. Just three days ago, the three friends had finished tenth grade and were free for the summer. Now Lizzie and Gordo would be spending it alone as Miranda left them for a fun summer with her mother and father, and her aunt and uncle and cousins.  
  
Lizzie sighed as Miranda and her jet black hair disappeared down the walkway to the airplane. She tugged at her dyed light brown hair that she had worn straight that day. Gordo smiled quickly at Lizzie.  
  
"Are you ready to leave yet? I can drive us home." Gordo had just turned sixteen, the first of all three friends to become legal to drive, and he had just gotten his liscence and a car of his very own. Parents who were psychologists, Gordo was fairly well-off. You'd never be able to tell from the way he acted, though. Gordo and Lizzie had been friends forever, and when they met Miranda, she instantly clicked with them.  
  
"Sure, Gordo." With Lizzie's affirmation, Gordo and Lizzie walked towards the airport exit together in silence until Lizzie spoke once they were outside. "It's a beautiful day today. Do you have any plans for later?"  
  
Gordo shrugged. "I was just going to hang out at my house and watch some movies. Unless you want to do something together?" Gordo hoped Lizzie would say yes. He'd rather hang out with his best friend than sit at home alone. His parents were gone, leaving him in the house alone for three weeks. They had a large amount of trust for him and as a result were happy to leave him alone in the house when they went off to Hawaii for a second honeymoon. Gordo was happy to be left at home. Sure, Miranda wouldn't be there, but he still had Lizzie.   
  
Lately, Gordo had been getting feelings for Lizzie. He'd always cared about her and loved her, because she was his best friend. In the past few years, they'd grown closer. And in different ways than just as friends. In eighth grade, when the school picture was taken, Lizzie had kissed Gordo. Simply on the cheek, but she gave no explanation as to why she did it. After that, Gordo and Lizzie had gone on a school trip to Italy together. The last night of the trip, Lizzie had actually kissed Gordo for real. They never really talked about it after it happened. The summer when they returned was the same, but the tension between him and Lizzie had built up a lot. The past two years, Lizzie had been dating a few guys. And it always killed Gordo to see her be close with them. It hurt him even more when they broke up with her, and she came and cried on Gordo's shoulder. He'd always comfort her. But she'd never really see that Gordo really did love her. He'd been close to telling her a few times, but he'd always left it. He loved her friendship and he never wanted to lose it.  
  
"Sure. Why don't we go to the beach? It's so beautiful, there's no way we can stay inside." Lizzie bathed in the sunlight. "I love the summer!"  
  
  
  
An hour later, after Gordo and Lizzie had drove to Lizzie's house to pick up her bathing suit and towel and a few other necessities, the two were on their way to Gordo's house to pick up his things before they headed over to the beach.  
  
Reaching the driveway, Gordo stopped the car. "Coming in? I'll just be a few minutes."  
  
"Yeah, sure." Lizzie and Gordo hopped out of the car.   
  
"How's life on your own been for you so far? You're so lucky your parents trust you enough to leave you at home alone. What would I have done all summer without Miranda and you?" Lizzie smiled, glad that Gordo hadn't had to accompany his parents to Hawaii.  
  
"It gets a little boring. Sometimes I get lonely. But it's nice to have the house to myself. I can play the music as loud as I want, and there's nobody to tell me what not to eat. Living off of ice cream rocks."   
  
Lizzie giggled. "Go get your stuff, slowpoke!"  
  
Lizzie loved driving in Gordo's convertible. Feeling the sun shine on her light brown hair and the wind against her face, she basked in the sunlight, closing her eyes and letting her mind escape. Summer was her favorite season.  
  
Gordo looked across at Lizzie, unable to keep his focus on the road ahead of him. She was distracting him again and he couldn't concentrate. Why did his best friend have to be so beautiful? He wished he could put his feelings for her aside. Lizzie would never feel the same anyways.  
  
Gordo and Lizzie had a great day at the beach, but it was getting late and the water was too cold to swim in. The sky had darkened but the air was still warm and moist. Lizzie and Gordo sat beside each other in the sand. Lizzie grabbed a handful of sand and sneakily dropped it in Gordo's mop of curly dark brown hair, giggling.  
  
"Hey! Watch where you put that sand, McGuire! I'm gonna get you for that one." Gordo shook his hair and most of the sand flew onto Lizzie. She giggled again, happy that today had been such a wonderful day. She'd almost forgot that Miranda was gone because she'd had such a good time with Gordo today.   
  
Lizzie looked up at the sky. The stars were visible against the deep, dark endless sky. Today had been a perfect day. She owed it all to Gordo. Suddenly, Lizzie yawned. She hadn't realized how tired she was. She tried to get comfortable to take a nap but couldn't find a good position.   
  
Gordo laid down in the warm sand, not caring whether he got sand in his hair or not. Lizzie, after not being able to find a comfortable position to sleep in, laid down right next to him. His breath caught in his throat and he chokingly breathed in her sunscreen scent. Lizzie's eyes were closed and her head rested right next to his own. Gordo laid there, transfixed by her beauty, wishing he could reach out and hold her. Finally he dozed off beside her, so close but so far away.  
  
Lizzie awoke shortly after Gordo had fallen asleep. She smiled upon seeing his long eyelashes resting on his cheeks. His chest rose and fell up and down and Lizzie didn't want to have to wake her best friend up. She touched his shoulders slightly and shook them slowly. "Gordo? It's really late, I think my parents will be worrying about me."  
  
Gordo woke up and nodded. He was covered in sand and still half asleep, but somehow he made it to his car and drove Lizzie home. Arriving in her driveway, she jumped out of the car. "Meet me at the Digital Bean tomorrow at eleven! See you tomorrow!" Gordo watched her go into her house, and then went home himself to a dark and empty house and a long, dreamless slumber alone in his darkened bedroom.  
  
The next morning, Lizzie woke up smiling, optimistic and happy. The sun was shining in her bedroom windows, illuminating her bedroom. After showering with her peach scented shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash, she quickly did her hair in a cute and wavy style, leaving most of her hair falling to her shoulders. She chose to wear a funky light blue t-shirt she had gotten from a vintage store that said "RAVEN'S SWIM AND SURF SHOP" on it in white lettering, over a basic white tank. She chose a slightly shorter than knee length beige skirt with a white belt with small silver studs in the shape of stars on it. She put on a basic silver necklace and a matching bracelet and cute little silver earrings in the shape of small stars to accesorize, and slipped on a pair of blue and white vans skateboard shoes. Spritzing on some of her favorite scent, she grabbed a purse and headed out the door in the direction of the Digital Bean to meet Gordo.  
  
Gordo was waiting at the Digital Bean. He was a little bit early, but that was alright. He liked to watch the people. Gordo hadn't been able to get the sight of Lizzie sleeping next to him from last night out of his head. He needed to think of something else, but she wouldn't get out of his mind. He was glad to be hanging out with her today.   
  
Lizzie entered the Digital Bean minutes later and paused in the doorway, letting the door shut behind her. She looked around for Gordo. Where was he? Finally, she found him. He looked cute today. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the name of one of his newest favorite bands, Taking Back Sunday, on it, along with dark baggy jeans and a pair of skate shoes. His hair was curly and loose and as cute as ever.   
  
Lizzie stopped as she realized what she was thinking about. She was calling Gordo cute! Lizzie reassured herself that it didn't mean anything and walked over to Gordo, who was sitting alone in a booth sipping some kind of drink out of a cup.   
  
Gordo turned his head towards Lizzie. She looked beautiful today. He decided he'd do something out of the ordinary, just to see what she'd say. "Hey, Lizzie." He paused, getting up the courage. "You look really nice today."  
  
Lizzie smiled. "Thanks, Gordo. You look pretty good yourself."  
  
Gordo brightened. He was expecting her to be surprised and wonder why he'd said that, but she only looked genuinely happy. "So, what do you want to do today?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged and looked out the window. Since she'd woken up this morning, the sky had turned a little bit overcast and now it was raining. Lizzie smiled. She loved it when it rained. "It's raining. Do you want to go see a movie, maybe?"  
  
Gordo agreed to her situation and so the two of them left the Digital Bean together, heading outside towards Gordo's car. Luckily, he'd put the top up today.   
  
Entering the movie theater, Gordo and Lizzie approached the ticket seller. Gordo stepped in front of Lizzie. "Two for Legally Blonde 2, please." He paid the girl and she gave him the tickets.  
  
"Gordo, you didn't have to pay for my ticket!"  
  
"I felt like doing something nice today."  
  
"You're so sweet! Thank you." Lizzie gave him a quick hug and then she took off towards the door to theater number eight. "Come on, Gordo!"  
  
He trailed behind her slightly, still tingling from the touch of her hands on his arms and his back. She had sat down already in a row in the back of the already dark theater. He sat down beside her, aware of their closeness.  
  
Gordo didn't really like girly movies, but he'd do anything to be anywhere with Lizzie. And there was nowhere he'd rather be right now than here with his best friend. His only wish was that by the end of summer, she'd be more than just his friend.  
  
Lizzie laughed through the movie, obviously thorougly enjoying it. Her hand sat on the armrest between seperating her and Gordo. Gordo shivered as he contemplated his next move.   
  
She wasn't expecting him to grab hold of her hand and take it in his softly.   
  
He swallowed, glad that she hadn't pulled her hand away. He gave it a quick squeeze and continued holding on.   
  
Lizzie was surprised about how good it felt to be holding Gordo's hand. She gave him a glance, and he caught her eye. She blushed, slightly embarrassed to be caught staring at him, but Gordo only smiled back at her.   
  
The end of the movie had come too soon, and Gordo was reluctant to let go of her hand.  
  
They left the theater and walked to Gordo's car in silence. The sun was out once again, and the air was warm. "Do you want to go to my house and hang out?" Gordo asked, hoping she'd say yes.  
  
"Sure, that sounds good." Lizzie sounded nervous, and she wasn't quite sure why. It was just Gordo, her best friend. She knew she liked holding his hand, but that didn't mean anything, did it? He was just Gordo. And she was Lizzie. And they were best friends. Wasn't that all there was to it? 


	2. She's Everything I Ever Wanted

author's notes:   
  
wow! thank you all so much for all your awesome reviews. i'm really sorry that i haven't been able to get a new chapter up before now, but i've been really busy. and i'm kind of not sure where i want the story to go yet, so i've been kind of stuck, but i hope you like this chapter even more than the last. i'm sorry if it doesn't appear to have a plot, i think i know what direction i want to take it now, so hopefully i can start developing that for you guys.  
  
Lizzie woke up to the screeching of her younger brother, Matt McGuire. He was shouting. She checked her clock, eight in the morning. In the summer, that was much too early to be up, and too early to be waking everyone up with his preteen antics. Finally, she deciphered the words he was shouting, and responded to his calls of "Lizzie! Lizzie!"  
  
"What?" Lizzie cried out, prolonging the word to a whole five seconds. Her voice sounded thick and different, the result of hours of sleep. She had went to bed exhausted last night, after a night of movies and talking at the Gordon's house with her best friend.  
  
Matt marched into Lizzie's room, pushing open the door without knocking. Lizzie didn't protest, upon seeing the phone in Matt's outstretched hand. "Miranda's on the phone."  
  
Lizzie squealed in excitement. "Mirandaaaa!" She screamed excitedly, grabbing the phone away from her annoying younger brother.   
  
Miranda giggled. "Hey, Lizzie. I guess it's a safe bet to assume that you miss me a lot?"  
  
"Oh, Miranda, you have no idea!" Lizzie paused as she thought about what she should tell Miranda. Would Miranda be angry about the Gordo incident? Lizzie decided to tell her, because she herself was feeling happy, confused, sad, angry, excited, frustrated, and nervous all at the same time.   
  
"I can't talk long because it's long distance. What's going on with you?"  
  
"Not much. I've been hanging out with Gordo a lot. We spent all day yesterday together."  
  
Miranda smiled, unknown to Lizzie. She knew Gordo liked Lizzie, and it was kind of obvious that Lizzie reciprocated his feelings. "I'm glad you guys are hanging out and having fun. So..did anything different happen?" Before she left for Mexico, she'd had a private conversation with Gordo, in which he'd vowed to Miranda that he'd make a move for Lizzie before she had a summer fling with some boy who wouldn't even matter once eleventh grade came along. He'd finally admitted to Miranda his feelings for Lizzie, something he hadn't done ever before. Miranda was happy for them, hoping that Gordo would keep his promise and she'd come back to find her best friends as more than best friends.  
  
"Yeah." Lizzie paused, wondering how Miranda knew. "We were sitting in the movie theater, laughing and watching the movie, when all of the sudden, he just reached out and held my hand. For the rest of the movie. You know what was even more weird about it? I felt something different from what I've ever felt before in my whole entire life for anyone else. I've never had that feeling that I had yesterday with Gordo with anybody else. None of my boyfriends have ever made me feel like that."  
  
"Gordo's a really special guy, Lizzie." Miranda's smile grew bigger.  
  
"I always knew he was special. I just never knew that he could be anything more to me then my best friend. It's like I just woke up and realized how cute and sweet and wonderful he is, and how absolutely perfect he is, and how he's everything I've ever wanted in a boyfriend but I've never really seen it." The thoughts in Lizzie's head were becoming so much clearer. If only she could communicate her thoughts to Gordo.  
  
"Are you going to just sit here telling me that, or are you actually going to tell him that to his face?" Miranda asked Lizzie. "You know what, Lizzie, he's liked you for a really long time. He'd just about die if you told him what you just told me."  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't tell him, I don't want him to have a heart attack," Lizzie said, giggling.  
  
Miranda joined in, and the two friends laughter finally faded out. "Listen, Lizzie, good luck with Gordo and everything else, I really have to go now. I'll phone you again soon!"  
  
Lizzie hung up the phone after saying a rushed goodbye to her best friend in Mexico. She thought about all the things Miranda had said, wanting never to forget them. Repeating the conversation in her mind, she laughed and she felt as if she was glowing from the inside out. He liked her! And finally, she knew where her feelings stood about him. Everything was going Lizzie's way, everything.  
  
After showering, doing her hair, brushing her teeth, and getting dressed in a love-induced haze, Lizzie walked outside with no particular destination. She thought she was looking exceptionally good today. She had left her hair down and wavy, loose curls cascading over her shoulders. It was a warm day, so she was wearing a cute pair of blue jean shorts, her favorite white and light blue skate shoes with low white socks, and a white short sleeved t-shirt that she had gotten from a vintage store two weeks ago, with light blue writing on the front and back. She had accesorized simply, with small silver earrings and a silver necklace.  
  
Lizzie couldn't keep the smile off her face. She was walking towards the Digital Bean not long after she had left her house, and she stood outside, contemplating her next move. She should have phoned Gordo this morning, but when she entered the doors to the Digital Bean, she knew she didn't have to.   
  
Gordo was sitting by himself at a table near a wall. Lizzie smiled, and walked towards his table, though it actually felt more like she was floating. She approached him timidly, her confidence fading as he turned his head slowly to face her.   
  
Lizzie didn't know what to say. "Hi, Gordo," she managed to say quietly.   
  
Gordo examined Lizzie's features carefully. "Hi."  
  
Lizzie sat down across from Gordo. She loved the way she now noticed his hair and how much she loved the way it curled and looked messy and disheveled but at the same time completely perfect and completely Gordo. Staring into his blue eyes, she couldn't understand why she'd never truly ever seen him in this light before.   
  
Gordo coughed slightly, and Lizzie turned her eyes away from his face, blushing slightly. She looked back up seconds later, and Gordo wasn't smiling. His face was showing no emotion. Lizzie wondered what was wrong with him.  
  
Gordo had woken up that same morning even before Lizzie had. He couldn't sleep the night after she left his house after that day they spent at the movie, the time he spent holding his best friend's hand. The sheer wonderfulness of the day overwhelmed him.  
  
And then he contemplated in the morning. Should he phone Lizzie? Maybe he should go to her house to pick her up and ask her then if she wanted to do anything. Should he pretend like nothing happened between them yesterday and go on believing that they were just best friends and would never be anything more?  
  
Gordo wanted them to be more than best friends more than anything.  
  
He remembered his promise to Miranda, the promise that he'd made to take control of his feelings and come right out and make a move for Lizzie's heart. He'd started the process yesterday, with holding her hand and all, but Gordo knew he'd have to do more than that to win Lizzie's heart.   
  
He was so nervous to see her, so nervous to talk to her. What if she just rejected him? What if Lizzie didn't know how to treat him, what if she decided that holding her best friend's hand was awkward and didn't want to change their relationship at all? So many scenarios crossed Gordo's mind, and he didn't know what to do about anything.  
  
So he didn't do anything.  
  
He'd simply gotten up and drove to the Digital Bean by himself. He wasn't going to sit around and wait for Lizzie to call, knowing that she wasn't the type. He didn't want to call her and be rejected.   
  
And now she was here, when all he had wanted to do was avoid her for the day. She'd stared into his eyes and he'd gotten lost in her brown eyes as she looked into his eyes, searching for something Gordo didn't know about. She looked beautiful today, but then again, Lizzie usually looked gorgeous every day.   
  
Lizzie had been so radiant when she walked in, and when she walked over to Gordo, something had changed. She seemed quieter, she seemed confused. Gordo wondered what was going on inside her head, but he'd never really known what his best friend was thinking about.  
  
Now that she was here, Gordo decided he wanted to spend the rest of the day with her. He wanted to get to know Lizzie in ways that he'd never gotten to know her before, and he wanted to make his next move. He didn't want anybody else to get in the way. It would have killed Gordo for her to have some summer fling with a boy she didn't even really like. But then again, she didn't really like Gordo much in the way he wanted her to like her, either. Gordo decided to speak up.  
  
  
  
Out of the blue, after uncomfortable moments of silence, Gordo finally spoke. "Do you want to go to the park with me today, maybe? We could go for a walk, feed the ducks, go wading, maybe sit and have a talk?" The tone of his voice was hopeful.  
  
Lizzie smiled. "Yeah, sure. It's way too nice of a day to be hanging out inside."   
  
Gordo smiled back, relieved. The two of them got up from the table and walked towards Gordo's car, a meter of space in between the two bodies as they walked through the parking lot under the hot sun.   
  
Gordo drove to the big park, which was at least a half hour drive. Lizzie flipped through his CD case, hoping to find something she'd like, but finding nothing she'd ever really even heard of.   
  
Watching Lizzie flip through his music collection, Gordo laughed. "You've never even heard of any of these bands, have you?"   
  
Lizzie shook her head and giggled. "What do you want?"  
  
Gordo smiled. What kind of question was that? Knowing she referred to the music, he racked his brain for something that might clue her in to what he was feeling. Removing his hand from the steering wheel quickly, he pointed to a CD. "That one. Track ten."  
  
Lizzie inserted the CD into Gordo's CD player, turning the song to the tenth track. A slow, pretty song drifted through the speakers. Gordo smiled.   
  
"Some things can never be explained why every sky still looks the same and I wonder how my world would look without you, some things can never be explained like how our scars remain the same and I wonder how the sky would look without my star, sleep seems a dream away and a year too late words that can't be spoken stream off my face, I want to be selfish you are my everything, some things can never be explained why does your love remain unchanged cause I know it wouldn't be the same without you, sleep seems a dream away and a year too late words that can't be spoken stream off your face please don't forget my name and take me with you when you leave, I've got a lot to lose I've got to let it go, please don't forget my name.."  
  
Lizzie was taken aback by the choice of song. It was the way the lyrics pertained to the way she was feeling about Gordo. She couldn't imagine a world without her best friend, her David Gordon, her Gordo. She never wanted him to leave.  
  
Lizzie smiled across the car at her best friend. Gordo could see her out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head the opposite direction, still watching the road but smiling secretly so that she couldn't see him. The two of them drove mostly in silence to the park, but a comfortable silence that suggested that the pair were completely comfortable with each other this time.  
  
After what seemed like a mere five minutes, Lizzie and Gordo reached the park. It had felt so short because Lizzie had been so caught up in the moments, the choice of music, the sheer act of being with Gordo in such close proximity and a confined space that she could smell him faintly, a smell she recognized.  
  
Half an hour later, Gordo and Lizzie were outside walking around in the park, retaining the meter of space between the two of them. Gordo stopped at a large tree and sat down underneath it, exclaiming about his unusually high level of exhaustion. Lizzie, agreeing, sat down beside him.  
  
The two sat in silence once again.   
  
"Gordo?" Lizzie interrupted.  
  
Gordo swallowed. "Yeah?"  
  
"You seem different lately. I mean that in a good way, but something about you's different." Lizzie fiddled with her fingers, looking down nervously, obviously avoiding Gordo's eyes.  
  
Gordo breathed in deeply and didn't say anything.  
  
"I mean, if you don't want to tell me, that's alright. I just figured, maybe, since you're my best friend and all, that you might want someone to share it with, but you don't have to." Lizzie continued looking down at her hands.  
  
"I, uh. I, well..I," Gordo said, fishing for the words he needed to say to get his point across to his best friend. "I think I fell in love with this amazing, wonderful, beautiful, sweet girl. She's perfect in every way."  
  
Lizzie's heart came crashing down to the ground. 


	3. Don't Push Love Away

author's note: thanks to you guys for the reviews, keep them coming! hope you like this next chapter, it doesn't have much action in it, but a lot of reflection and thoughts, i guess. the next few should be a little more exciting. i have my last exam on tuesday and so then after that school's over and i'm out for the summer and i'll have some time to write. i've been working on a few other fics as well as this one, just haven't gotten around to posting anything, i guess. i'll be updating this one more regularly over the summer, i think. sorry this chapter took so long! i swear, i've been working on it for the past four days...  
  
Gordo's words echoed through Lizzie's mind. "I think I fell in love with this amazing, wonderful, beautiful, sweet girl. She's perfect in every way." Lizzie sighed, blinking back tears as she'd listened to Gordo speak those words, as she watched the expression on Gordo's face. She'd never seen him look that way, she'd never seen his eyes shine that bright, she'd never seen him truly in love, but she knew he was.  
  
And it wasn't with her. More than anything, Lizzie wanted her best friend to be in love with her. Because she was in love with him, her best friend. Lizzie had never loved anyone more.   
  
Lizzie's mind flashed back to that morning, right after Gordo had told her.  
  
Gordo had also been at home, thinking about the day after it had happened.  
  
  
  
  
  
Lizzie stared at Gordo, blankly, wishing that words, any words, would come out of her mouth. She was speechless. Her best friend, in love with someone? Lizzie's thoughts didn't even dart to the people that it could be, she only knew that it wasn't her. Gordo wouldn't have told her about the girl if it was Lizzie. It had to be some other girl. Lizzie wished it wasn't that way.  
  
Gordo searched Lizzie's face, waiting for a response from her. He wondered why she looked so upset. Anger, sadness, the realization of betrayal, flashed across her beautiful features. Was it something he'd said? Gordo wanted to tell Lizzie everything, wanted to tell Lizzie that he was in love, that he'd been in love for years. Gordo wanted Lizzie to know it all. She was his best friend, after all. She had been for almost his whole entire life. Gordo wanted Lizzie to know that it was her. Gordo wanted Lizzie to know that he was in love with her.   
  
He thought that when he told her, by some freak of nature, Lizzie would just know that he was in love with her. Who else could it have been, anyways? He thought back to yesterday, when he'd held her hand. Maybe Lizzie had forgotten that little detail, that Gordo had actually held her hand. Didn't she ever see the glances Gordo would take at her when he thought she wasn't looking? He wondered how she couldn't see the love in his eyes that he held for her and no one else.  
  
Yet Lizzie's face was downcast, and tears glistened in her pretty brown eyes. She quickly stood up, silently, and walked away from Gordo slowly. She hadn't said anything at all.   
  
Lizzie's mind was racing. "Perfect in every way," he'd said. It wasn't her, it wasn't her. Who was she kidding? Gordo didn't think she was perfect. She was only his best friend, cute but clumsy and silly Lizzie McGuire, friends since before they could even talk. She knew her best friend wouldn't think of her as amazing, wonderful, beautiful, and sweet. It wasn't her.  
  
She should have known that sooner or later, some girl would discover how wonderful and amazing her Gordo was, and fall in love with him as well, taking her Gordo away from her forever. She thought about the girl Gordo had been talking about, and wondered if the girl knew how great Gordo was, if the girl was in love with Gordo like he loved her.  
  
A tear fell from Lizzie's eyes, and she ran towards the entrance of the park, leaving Gordo standing alone, a puzzled and heartbroken look on his face. Gordo didn't run after her, knowing that Lizzie didn't need him to or want him to at all. Lizzie, never having turned around, didn't see the confused, heartbroken, sad expression that had crossed Gordo's face.  
  
Alone at the park, he'd been walking around for hours. He fed the ducks by himself, chucking the chunks of stale bread at the birds, hoping that somehow that would take away the intense pain he felt in his heart. The longing he held for his best friend to see him as more than just her best friend.  
  
He remembered the look in her eyes when he'd told her he was in love with a girl. Hurt. Anger. Sadness. Jealousy? She didn't realize that it was her Gordo was talking about. Or maybe she did, and she just didn't want to admit it. And Gordo was too scared to tell her, too scared of what expression her face might take if she knew her best friend had fallen in love with her. He could only imagine her reaction. She'd be scared, confused, wouldn't know what to do or say. Everything would be awkward between them. He'd have to live with her avoiding him, with her worrying about what to say around him. He never wanted her to feel weird about being aorund him.  
  
While Gordo was walking around in the park alone, which he had been hoping he'd do with Lizzie, Lizzie was standing at the entrance to the park, and sitting on the pavement, waiting for her mother to come and pick her up. Jo had come and driven Lizzie home, and when Gordo reached the parking lot several hours later, there was no sign of almost anyone there.   
  
He'd driven home, speeding, but he didn't care. All that mattered in his life, all that had mattered for the past few years, was Lizzie. And now that he'd had that kind of reaction from her, he wasn't sure what he wanted out of this. He knew she didn't feel the same, somehow, he just knew.   
  
  
  
Flashing back to the present time, Gordo stared at the phone beside him in his dark bedroom. He was sprawled on the bed and had been thinking for a few hours and it was now night time. He contemplated phoning Lizzie, but decided that he couldn't.  
  
He picked up the phone and listened to the blank dial tone, wishing there was someone he could call. Suddenly, he saw a picture of him and his two best friends. His eyes flashed over to Lizzie and he sighed in pain at the smile on her face. She was so beautiful when she smiled.   
  
Then, his eyes caught the other girl in the picture. Miranda Sanchez, the other best friend. Gordo had the idea to call Miranda. Maybe somehow, she'd know what to tell him. She'd know what he had to do. Gordo picked up the piece of paper on his desk that had Miranda's phone number in Mexico written on it.  
  
The line was busy. Gordo sighed, and hung up. This really wasn't his day.  
  
Miranda's line was busy because Miranda was already on the phone with Lizzie, consoling her. "Lizzie, maybe this means you and Gordo are really only meant to be friends. Maybe you two wouldn't work out anyways. You should be thankful that you're not losing a best friend here."  
  
"But Miranda, I am. He's in love with another girl, which means I won't matter to him as much as I used to. What ever happened to him liking me, like you said he did?" Lizzie said, pausing briefly every few seconds to sniffle.  
  
Miranda smiled knowingly. "Are you so convinced that he wasn't talking about you, Lizzie? Maybe Gordo thinks you're everything that he said this girl is. You should have gone further, asked him to tell you about the girl. Maybe he would have revealed that he was talking about you."  
  
"Miranda, you're just getting my hopes up. I could see the look in his eyes, he doesn't look at me like that. He's never looked at me like that, we're only friends and why did I ever think we could be anything more?"  
  
The smile didn't leave Miranda Sanchez's pretty face.   
  
She'd seen Gordo looking at Lizzie the way Lizzie wanted to be looked at by Gordo, when Gordo didn't think Lizzie or Miranda was watching. She'd seen how much Gordo loved Lizzie. Gordo would do anything to be with Lizzie. Gordo would do anything for Lizzie. And Miranda knew it.  
  
Miranda bit her tongue, trying to keep herself from telling Lizzie Gordo's true feelings. After all, Miranda wasn't supposed to know that Gordo loved Lizzie. It would be better if Gordo told her he loved her himself. Which was what he'd been trying to do earlier today, Miranda figured. Lizzie had just gotten the wrong idea.   
  
"Listen, Lizzie, I'm sorry I can't talk longer but I have to go. I have a missed call." Miranda said a quick farewell to her best friend and hung up, checking her phone to see who'd called while she was on the phone with Lizzie.  
  
  
  
With an excited smile, Miranda called the number that had called while she was talking to Lizzie.   
  
"Hello?" A familiar male voice answered the phone. Miranda smiled. She hadn't talked to him since she left for Mexico, and she hadn't realized how much she missed him.  
  
"Hey, Gordo!" Miranda exclaimed. "I noticed that you called me. I was on the phone with someone else, sorry."  
  
Gordo sighed. "It's alright, Miranda."  
  
"I talked to Lizzie, Gordo."  
  
Gordo blinked slowly, silent.  
  
"Gordo, I don't know what to tell you. There is one thing I could tell you, but I'm not sure that you'd follow my advice. There's one thing you can do, one thing you have to do."  
  
He sighed. "And what might that be?"  
  
"Gordo, you have to tell Lizzie you love her." 


	4. To Lizzie, With Love

author's notes: you guys rock, thanks for reviewing my story. i can't believe people are even reading this. i'm so glad you guys like it! i love lizzie and gordo so much..oh my gosh. i love reading it, i love writing it. anyways, i REALLY like this chapter and i really wanted to keep going, but it was getting kinda long. so i might continue and post chapter five tomorrow morning or later tonight, who knows. but i'm in a really big writing mood right now. i really hope you guys like this chapter, i think it's my favorite so far..anyways, i'll just let you guys read it. i really hope you like it.  
  
"Miranda, are you kidding me? I can't tell Lizzie that I love her! She'll freak! She'll..well, bad things will happen. And I mean that. Do you know how weird that's going to sound? How am I supposed to even say something like that? How do you expect me to bring that up?" Gordo rambled nervously.  
  
Miranda sighed loudly and with an exasperated tone. "Well, the way you're going about it now isn't right, Gordo. She has no idea that you like her, she's convinced you're in love with someone else. Absolutely convinced. Gordo, you have to either tell her, or move on. Find someone else if you can't tell Lizzie."  
  
Gordo was silent for a moment. "Do you know how hard it would be to get over her?"  
  
"You have to do something, Gordo. Something." Gordo heard a voice in the background on Miranda's end. "I have to go, sorry. My mother needs to use the phone. You'll think of something. Just do it fast! Good luck," Miranda said, and then hung up the phone.  
  
He sighed, and then hung up the phone. She'd only told him exactly what he knew he had to do. But how on earth would he clue Lizzie in to his feelings? Gordo ran his fingers through his curly brown hair, feeling completely hopeless.  
  
At once, Gordo smiled as an idea came into his head.   
  
He grabbed his videocamera and put a fresh video tape in it, turning it on and facing it towards himself. He began to speak, slowly and with words more heartfelt then he'd ever spoken to anyone in his life.   
  
Minutes after hanging up the phone with her female best friend, Lizzie collapsed on her bed, having no idea what to do. It was eight at night now, and she was also alone. Her parents had taken Matt out to a movie, but Lizzie hadn't wanted to go, so she'd stayed home instead.  
  
Lizzie didn't really need to be alone right now, but she had no idea where she could go. Eight fifteen, and she was at home without a drivers liscence and no one to drive her anywhere. Quickly brushing her hair, she got ready to go out for a walk, seeing where her mind would take her.  
  
She sat down on her bed to tie her shoes. Lizzie cried out in pain as she sat down on something hard and pointed. Clutching her backside, she got up and felt around to see what she had sat on. It was a CD, white and unlabeled. Lizzie looked at it, examining it closely.  
  
After looking at the CD, she found a name on it. The CD on the inside said nothing except the five letters that continually haunted Lizzie's thoughts. Gordo. Lizzie looked at it, puzzled. Gordo must have forgot it there the last time he was over.  
  
Acting on a whim, Lizzie grabbed her purse and shoved Gordo's CD into it. At least now she had an excuse to see him if she by "accident" ended up in front of the Gordon house.  
  
Lizzie went downstairs and out the front door, leaving a note on her kitchen table telling her family that she was going out for a walk to Gordo's house and that she'd be back soon. Locking the door behind her, Lizzie fought the hot, salty tears that fought to drip down her warm cheeks, remembering the things Gordo had said to her again and again, replaying the scene in her mind.  
  
She fought for those images to leave her mind.  
  
Lizzie walked down the empty street towards Gordo's house, kicking at the dirty pavement beneath her feet. It was a cold, dreary night and the skies threatened Lizzie with a downpour of rain and a thunderstorm. Thinking back to that morning, she'd heard someone say that there was a sixty percent chance of precipitation in the forecast for today, and she quickened her pace.  
  
It obviously wasn't fast enough, and the rain began to pour down on Lizzie. Cars whizzed past, and Lizzie's tears mixed with the rain pouring down from the sky, soaking her clothes and her hair.  
  
At the same time, Gordo was sitting at his desk, playing with the videotape he'd just used in his videocamera. He could hear thunder crashing and see the lightning flashes outside the window beside his chair. He moved his chair over to the window and stared out, opening the window a crack so that he could smell the air heavy with rain. He loved the smell of the air when it rained, he remembered discussing it with Lizzie one night. They both hated storms. Gordo hoped Lizzie wasn't at home alone by herself right now. He'd give anything to be with her at that very moment.  
  
Gordo blinked. He could see a female figure walking on the street opposite his house. Looking closer, Gordo couldn't see the face of the person. All he could see was that she was a brunette, and that reminded him of Lizzie. Lizzie, who'd dyed her hair brown earlier that year.  
  
He wasn't sure what to do, but a minute later she disappeared from Gordo's view. He sighed, disappointed. She was gone. Remembering that it probably wasn't Lizzie, just some girl with brown hair, Gordo closed the window with a bang and turned back to his desk. He jumped as the doorbell rang seconds later.   
  
Gordo walked downstairs towards the front door cautiously. Something had told him that this time, he just had to go open the door, although he didn't usually when he was at home alone. That something was staring at him when he opened the door.   
  
The soaked brunette he'd seen outside his window was standing at his door. Gordo stared at her, blankly, unable to speak. After a few uncomfortable moments, Gordo stammered, "Lizzie?"  
  
Lizzie looked down at her shoes. "I don't really know what I'm doing here."  
  
Gordo paused. "You're always welcome here, Lizzie." He touched her arm, urging her to come inside. "You're soaked. Did you walk all the way here from your house?"  
  
Lizzie nodded, wordlessly. "I found a CD of yours in my bedroom, so I brought it back for you. I didn't remember that it was going to start raining." Lizzie pulled an unlabeled white CD from her purse, and Gordo took it slowly, avoiding touching her fingers on the CD.   
  
Gordo set the CD down on the couch in his living room. He didn't really know what to say to her. "I'll go get you a towel so you can dry off, I guess." Gordo set off towards the linen closet, where the family kept their towels. Lizzie followed Gordo, trailing close behind.  
  
He reached up into the closet and pulled out a few towels, turning around quickly and ending up face to face with Lizzie. The two friends both blushed, and Lizzie stared into Gordo's eyes, and then quickly turned her gaze away and turned away wordlessly, walking towards the bathroom to dry herself off.  
  
Gordo took a seat at the table, not knowing what to do. He put his head in his hands, listening to the rain pound against the windows. The storm raged on, lightning flashing throughout his dim living room. Suddenly, the lights flickered, and went out.   
  
Sighing, Gordo got up and stumbled around in the kitchen, looking for the drawer that contained the candles. He found a few, and lit them, placing them all over his living room and kitchen, illuminating the house slightly.  
  
Lizzie emerged from the bathroom, a confused look overtaking her pretty face. "What happened?"  
  
Gordo shrugged. "The power's probably out. That's a pretty nasty storm, I'd say."  
  
Lizzie stopped in her tracks. Gordo was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. Lizzie could see his troubled blue eyes and the features of his face, illuminated softly by the candles he'd lit and placed around the room.  
  
"Maybe I should get home," Lizzie suggested, nervously. She didn't really want to go, but she was sure that Gordo didn't really want her here, after all that had happened between them and the way she had been acting lately.   
  
"No." Gordo said it affirmingly, finally looking at Lizzie. He gestured for her to come and sit down beside him. As Lizzie walked towards him slowly, he grabbed a blanket from beside the couch. "You should just stay here for awhile until it clears up. Then I'll drive you home, or something."  
  
Lizzie nodded, not really wanting to leave. She wanted to be with Gordo. She'd rather be here with her best friend, even if he'd never be anything more than that, then at home alone or even with her family.   
  
Gordo sat at one end of the couch. Lizzie sat down at the other end, distancing the two of them. "Gordo, I.." Lizzie paused. "Gordo, I have to talk to you about something." Lizzie's face was downcast, and her eyes looked sad.  
  
"I have to talk to you about something too." Gordo paused, waiting to see if Lizzie was going to continue.  
  
Lizzie took a deep breath and spoke. "Listen, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I got so weird, I didn't really know what came over me. I've just been having a really hard time lately. Everything has been so strange with Miranda gone and all, I just miss her a lot." Lizzie stopped.  
  
"And then you tell me you've gone and fallen for some girl, and it's like I've lost you too. You know? Miranda's gone, and you've found some girl you like. It's like all of the sudden I don't have anyone to turn to. I already missed Miranda, and after you confessed that you like someone to me, it was just like I was losing you too. I'd have to miss you and Miranda, and I don't think I could really handle that." Tears glistened in Lizzie's eyes as she spoke. "I love your friendship so much, and I didn't want to lose it for anything. I already feel like I've lost Miranda."   
  
Even as Lizzie spoke those words, she debated whether or not she should tell Gordo how she really felt about him. Finally, she decided to leave her feelings for him out of it and simply give him that much of an explanation.  
  
Gordo breathed a sigh of somewhat relief. He took the information in, and it seemed to make sense. When it registered in his mind, Gordo realized that she hadn't said anything about feeling any differently towards him. 'I love your friendship,' she'd said. His friendship. She didn't want anything more.  
  
Gordo sighed out loud, and decided to act on his thoughts anyways. He couldn't hide it from her any longer. Gathering up his courage, he got up from the couch and walked upstairs, returning seconds later with the videotape in his hand. He sat back down, closer to Lizzie, and handed her the tape.   
  
She examined it, hoping for a clue as to what it was. Turning it over, she glanced at the label on it. "To Lizzie. Love, Gordo," it stated simply. 'Love, Gordo'? Lizzie turned the idea over in her head. Love. That was not just 'from Gordo'.  
  
"I want you to watch that when you get home," Gordo said. "By yourself." He wouldn't say anything more about the tape, and Lizzie didn't press on about it, knowing that she would just have to wait until she got home.   
  
Lizzie hadn't noticed that he'd sat down closer to her this time when he came back, but she did now. She could smell his distinctive Gordo smell, and she breathed it in. He was inches away from her. Lizzie slowly slid closer to him.  
  
Gordo watched as Lizzie shifted positions beside him. Using the courage he'd gathered minutes ago, he raised his arm and put it around her shoulders, gently pulling her in closer to him. She looked surprised for a minute, and then began to smile slightly, resting her head on his shoulders. Gordo put his head on top of hers gently, and she let her arm fall to rest around his waist.  
  
Gordo could hardly breathe, they were so close. He'd never been this close to his best friend before. He'd never really been this close to anyone, and he found that there was no one he wanted to be close to as much as the person who was beside him right then and there.  
  
Lizzie shared Gordo's sentiments, and the chemistry between the two best friends was something more than either person had ever felt in their lives. They laid there in silence, enjoying each other's presence, not having to speak any of the feelings that were inside them at that moment.  
  
Gordo fell asleep quickly, his breathing became regular and peaceful. Lizzie gazed up at him, his long and dark eyelashes grazing his cheeks, and his dark brown hair falling onto her straight and silky light brown hair. Soon, she too fell asleep and the pair laid there for hours, never wanting to move from each others side ever again. Neither of them knew that the other felt exactly the same and how completely in tune they were with each other. They both shared the bliss, they both felt the chemistry. And they didn't try to stop the emotion. They wished this night would never end. 


	5. Perfect, Amazing, Beautiful

author's notes: thanks for all the reviews, guys! i'm so glad you guys keep coming back and reading this, i love hearing about how much you love my story. i can't believe it. but anyways, that last chapter was my favorite but i think this one's my new favorite, i really like this one. i'm not sure if you guys will like it, it's kind of different in different ways and i was really really nervous to post it. i really hope you guys like it. my story's not over yet, though..we've still got a few more chapters to go, so i hope that you guys stick with me and keep reading and reviewing! - laynie  
  
Lizzie awoke the next morning to warm sunshine spilling over her cheeks. Blinking quickly, she looked around, unaware to detect where she was. And then she remembered. She had came over last night to see Gordo, and they'd ended up falling asleep. Lizzie looked over at Gordo, careful not to move as she realized that his arms were still wrapped around her. She laid there looking at her best friend for awhile, a small smile playing on her face.  
  
Minutes later, Gordo's eyes flickered open, and he too looked around, confused. Realizing that his arms were around his best friend and she was looking at him, he smiled, slightly embarassed, and let go of Lizzie. He touched his arms, still tingling from touching her. He felt as if he were flying, having been in Lizzie's arms all night.  
  
She looked in his eyes, also embarrassed. "Sorry, I guess I kind of fell asleep."  
  
Gordo nodded and looked around. All the candles had burned themselves out, and the power was obviously back on. The sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. "I..do you want me to drive you home?" Gordo asked, studying her face. She even looked beautiful after she'd been sleeping all night.  
  
She smiled. "You don't have to, I think I'll walk home." She got up from the couch and slowly started towards the door, picking up the videotape off the floor on her way out.  
  
"You really don't have to, I'll drive you," Gordo said, getting up and following her to the door.   
  
Lizzie smiled at him again. "I want to walk. You've already done enough for me. Thanks for everything, Gordo." She paused slightly, and then tentatively put her arms around him, pulling him towards her in a close hug. "Thanks. You're such a good friend." Pausing again, she thought quickly. "I'm so glad I have you in my life."  
  
With that, Lizzie opened the door and walked outside, turning around to smile at Gordo, waving goodbye, holding the videotape in one hand. Gordo waved goodbye at her, and then closed the door. He collapsed against it, the smile across his face bigger than he'd smiled in a long time.  
  
Thinking about the previous night, Gordo had become more and more confused. Lizzie told him things like 'I love your friendship so much' and then she'd tell him things like how she was so glad that he was in her life. How was he supposed to take that?   
  
Regardless of how Lizzie felt, Gordo knew Lizzie would know his feelings for her soon enough.   
  
Lizzie walked home slowly, contemplating last night's events. She was even more confused now about the way Gordo felt about her. Lizzie was unsure as to whether or not the things Gordo had done last night were mere acts of friendship, or something more.   
  
If that was the way Gordo would act towards her if they were going out, Lizzie wanted to be together with Gordo for sure. There was that one problem, the girl. The girl. Lizzie repeated the words Gordo had said to her. 'I think I've fell in love.' The way his eyes shone with happiness as he admitted his love for a girl. He hadn't said anything when she told him she loved his friendship. He had given her the tape.   
  
And then Lizzie remembered Miranda telling her that maybe, just maybe, Lizzie was the girl Gordo was talking about. Lizzie's heart leaped with hope that Miranda's words were true, that maybe she was the girl Gordo was talking about. Maybe, just maybe.  
  
"To Lizzie. Love, Gordo." Lizzie repeated the words printed on the videotape.   
  
Finally, she arrived at home and found her mother, sitting in the kitchen. "Mom!"  
  
"Hey, Lizzie." Jo McGuire looked up from the morning newspaper. "Did you have a sleepover at Gordo's house last night?"  
  
"Yeah. I hope that's alright, I wasn't intending to sleep over." Lizzie paused, thinking of a way to leave the complete truth out of what she told her mother. "I went over because I didn't want to be alone, I heard there was a thunderstorm coming and I didn't know when you guys would be home, so I just went over to have some company for awhile." Lizzie studied her mother's face, waiting for a reaction.  
  
Jo only smiled. "Okay, honey. Did you and Gordo have fun?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess it was better than being at home alone all night."  
  
"We got in pretty late."  
  
"Yeah." Lizzie walked to the other side of the kitchen and took out some juice from the refridgerator. While she was pouring herself a cup, she was oblivious to the smile playing across her mother's face. The smile of a mother who knew something was up with her daughter.  
  
Jo got up from the table, dropping the newspaper. "I'm going out for the afternoon, and I'll be back around five or so tonight. See you later, sweetie." She walked over to Lizzie and gave her a quick hug. Noticing Lizzie's purse contents slightly spilling onto the counter, she saw the corner of the videotape and curiously picked it up, turning it over in her hands. "Hey, Lizzie, what's this?"  
  
Lizzie's eyes widened and she grabbed at the tape. "I don't know. Gordo gave it to me and told me to watch it, I have no idea what's on it." Lizzie was slightly blushing, although she didn't know just quite why. "It's probably some stupid movie he filmed and wants me to watch, I don't know."  
  
Turning away from Lizzie and walking away, Jo smiled knowingly. Grabbing her keys, she left through the front door.   
  
Hearing her mother's car leave the driveway, Lizzie ran up the stairs to her bedroom, clutching the videotape in one hand and her bag in the other. Upon the arrival into her room, she dropped her bag and the videotape on the floor. She quickly went to have a shower, brush her teeth, and style her hair. After, she got dressed in a pair of dark jeans, a simple white belt, a dark black t-shirt, and black socks.  
  
She couldn't hold herself from not watching the tape any longer. Fearing for what might be on there, anticipating what might be on there, and waiting in excitement, she picked it up off the floor and placed it in.  
  
  
  
Gordo's face appeared on the television screen and Lizzie smiled. She sat on the floor directly in front of the television, staring up at his face. He looked slightly nervous, and Lizzie recognized the clothes as the ones he was wearing the day before, the day she'd went over and the night that she'd spent there with him during the thunderstorm.  
  
The on-camera Gordo swallowed and spoke. "Hi, Lizzie. I've been meaning to talk to you about something for awhile now, but I didn't really know how to say it. I don't know why you've been avoiding me lately and I don't know why things are weird between us, but I know that they are, and if I've done anything to provoke that, I want to apologize. Friends?" Gordo smiled and paused, looking down at his hands. Lizzie smiled.  
  
Gordo continued. "We've been friends forever, Lizzie, and I've never regretted a moment of time that I've spent with you. Well, that's not completely true. Maybe some of those times that you and Miranda dragged me to the mall. And maybe some of that time when you were always talking about Ethan. I got kind of sick of that, me being a guy and all." Gordo stopped.  
  
"I love your friendship so much, Lizzie. I love being friends with you and I love seeing you every day and I love the fact that you're friends with me. I wouldn't trade you for anybody else in the world. You, and all the memories we have together, mean so much to me that I don't think I'd be the same person if I'd never met you."  
  
"Things in the past few months have changed a little bit. I don't mean like that our friendship has gotten stronger, or anything. I mean that, my feelings for you have been changing. Actually, it's really the past few years. I just didn't really realize it until awhile ago, mainly around when you started going out with that Ronnie guy. And then when you kissed me in eighth grade and stuff. That meant more to me than you'll ever know, you kissing me in Rome. I know all I ever said was thanks, but I meant to say more. And we never really talked about it." Gordo paused again, and Lizzie waited in anticipation, the nervous feeling returning in her tummy. This was really happening. She was getting butterflies in her stomach from talking to her best friend. Seeing her best friend.  
  
"Remember how I told you that I was falling for this girl? You got all quiet and stuff and I didn't really know what to make of it. I didn't really know if you knew about the girl, I didn't really know if you were jealous, I didn't really know if you were just sad. I wasn't sure how to take the way you reacted. I kind of got scared. But the truth is, I really did fall for this perfect, amazing, beautiful, talented girl. And she's one of my best friends."   
  
Lizzie took a deep breath, shaking, at the same time that Gordo did on-camera.  
  
"I really, really like you, Lizzie." Gordo paused, a nervous smile coming across his face. He looked down at his hands quickly and then faced the camera again, serious. "I don't mean as a friend, I mean as..more than a friend. I really don't want you to reject me, and I really don't want you to be scared to be yourself around me, I don't really want things to change at all. By that, I mean, I don't want us to be awkward or anything. I have these feelings for you, really deep feelings. And I don't mean like when I dated Brooke. You're different." Gordo bit his lip.  
  
"You're different because I can't stop thinking about you. You're all I ever think about, you're always on my mind. I think you're beautiful, I think you're perfect, you're the best friend I could ever ask for. I'm so glad that you're my best friend, but I only wish that you were something more. And I wish that you wanted to be something more than just a best friend to me. I hope you feel the same, but if you don't, I don't want anything to be different between us." Gordo paused again, as if gathering the courage to go on.  
  
"I tried to say this a long time ago, Lizzie, when we were at the murder mystery party, but I'm going to say it now. Do you want to maybe sometime go out with me? Not as friends, like a date, kind of. If you wanted to. I hope you do. All you have to do is phone me sometime or something." Gordo's voice sounded nervous, and his tone became quieter.  
  
"Lizzie, I'm more thankful for you then I am thankful for anything else that's ever been in my life. Thanks for always being there for me. I hope that you'll always be there for me, because I know I'll always be there for you. No matter what. Thanks, Lizzie. You're the best friend that I could ever ask for."   
  
Gordo's face faded away into black, and Lizzie felt tears roll down her cheeks. A smile spread across her face as she realized what had just happened and what Gordo had just said to her. She pressed the rewind button and took the tape out, finally realizing the meaning of "Love, Gordo" on the front.  
  
It was her. The girl was her.  
  
"Love, Gordo." Lizzie repeated the words, tears falling onto the tape. "Love, Gordo." 


	6. Dreams Do Come True

author's notes: this chapter took me awhile to write..i hope you guys like it. i wrote it a few times, but i think this is the one i like the best. there's not a whole lot of action, but a little lizzie/gordo fluff, definitely. i hope you guys still like it, please keep the reviews coming. i like to know that you guys like my writing. anyways, please enjoy this chapter. - laynie  
  
Hands quivering, Lizzie picked up the phone slowly, examining it. She stared at the numbered buttons that dared her to do it, to dial his phone number. She'd never been so nervous to call her best friend ever before. For once in her life, Lizzie didn't know what to say. Lizzie didn't know what to do. She only knew that her best friend since forever had fallen for her, and that she felt exactly the same for him as he did for her.  
  
So, was that what she was supposed to say? Lizzie had no idea. What would Gordo say if Lizzie told him she liked him back, was he expecting her to say that? Lizzie could hear the dial tone of the phone ringing blankly, faintly, in her ears, taunting her.   
  
Reluctantly, she placed the phone down. "Who am I kidding? I have no idea what to say to him. I don't know what on earth to do." She spoke out loud, sighing and staring across the room into space. Gordo's face somehow creeped into her thoughts and Lizzie smiled, thinking that everything was finally going to be right with the world. She'd never felt this way about anyone in her life before.   
  
  
  
Gordo sat at home in his bedroom, wondering if everything he'd said to Lizzie on that tape was a mistake. She'd told him she loved his friendship, and then he'd gone and told her his innermost deepest feelings of love and longing for her.   
  
He picked up a picture frame off of his desk, staring at the photograph in side. Gordo, smiling at the camera, and Lizzie, with her lips pressed against Gordo's cheek. He remembered the eighth grade photograph and how she'd kissed him right as the picture was taken.  
  
How was he to know she still wanted to kiss him? People didn't want to just go out and kiss their best friends. It wasn't something best friends usually did. And if Lizzie only thought of him as a best friend, she wouldn't want to kiss him. He wanted to kiss her more than anything, really kiss her. He wanted to feel those shivers he felt go down his spine when she kissed him in Rome every day. He wanted the world to know him as one half of Gordo and Lizzie, the couple. Gordo and Lizzie, the best friends who'd finally clued in to the fact that they were in love. Gordo and Lizzie, the soulmates who met when they were just learning to breathe.  
  
More than anything, Gordo wanted Lizzie to be more than just his best friend. He wanted his best friend to be his girlfriend. He wanted to be able to tell everyone that yes, he, David Gordon, was in love with Lizzie McGuire, and that he'd been for a long time, and that he knew he would be for a long time into the future.  
  
Gordo needed to be alone, to think. He needed the fresh air of the outdoors. This stale, dark, lonely house was pushing claustrophobia on him. The walls were closing in, and he needed to escape. Grabbing his blue jacket, he headed outside.  
  
It was around five o'clock and the air was slightly chilly, as if a storm was going to set in. The sky was gray and threatening, but Gordo didn't care. He needed to get away from it all. Gordo crossed his arms over his chest and walked slowly in the direction of the neighborhood park, neglecting his car. He needed the fresh air.  
  
  
  
Matt McGuire was screaming downstairs about something Lizzie didn't particularly care about, and Lizzie was fighting tears upstairs in her bedroom. She was the happiest she'd been in a long time, but she didn't know what to do, and she didn't have anyone to talk to. All she knew was that he was Gordo, and he was willing to be hers. She knew she was willing to be his.  
  
The what-ifs raced through Lizzie's head. What if their friendship was ruined? What if dating Gordo wasn't actually all that it seemed when Lizzie had thought about it? What if she really fell in love with someone else? What if she broke Gordo's heart...what if Gordo broke hers?  
  
She wiped a tear from her face with the back of her hand. Taking her coat, she slipped down the stairs and out the front door quietly, without anyone noticing that she had left. She walked around outside, slowly, in the direction of the park by her house, hoping to seek some alone time to think about everything that had happened in the day.  
  
Waking up in Gordo's arms. Having Gordo tell her that he liked her, really liked her, as more than a friend. So much had happened in the day that it overwhelmed Lizzie to the maximum, and she needed some time to think about everything, and what she was going to do about it.  
  
She arrived at the park and sat down at a swing, remaining motionless and keeping her eyes down towards the ground. She gasped when she suddenly sprang into motion as she was pushed from behind. She looked behind her, and her breath caught in her throat.  
  
Gordo was standing there, a nervous expression across his face.  
  
Gordo had arrived at the park and was sitting on the grass when he saw Lizzie approach. Lizzie hadn't seen him, and moved towards the swings. Gordo bit his lip, wondering if he should approach her or just pretend that he hadn't seen her. He decided that he probably couldn't ignore her, he was dying to know if she'd watched the video yet. So he'd crept up silently behind her, and given her a quick push start on the swing. She'd spun around quickly to face him, and Gordo saw her face whiten slightly.  
  
She was nervous, and clearly had no idea what to say to him. Once again, she felt the same as Gordo. He hadn't thought of anything to say to her. Everything he'd wanted to say to her for the past few years, he'd said in one five-minute long video.  
  
Lizzie jumped off the swing in one graceful, fluid movement. She walked through the cold sand over to Gordo, standing a good meter and a half away from him. She still hadn't spoken, and he had no idea what to say either.  
  
"So, uh.." He rolled his eyes. 'Smooth move, Gordon', he thought to himself. "Listen, Lizzie, I guess I'm sorry." He paused, and a confused expression took over her face. "I know that what I told you on that tape was kind of overwhelming and stuff but it was everything that I've needed to say to you for the past few years. I really feel better about getting it off my chest, but I didn't know how you react, I mean, I know it's probably weird for you to think of me, your best friend, being in love with you and all, but it's all true, every single thing I said. I meant it all, Lizzie, and you mean so much to me that I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in my life."  
  
Lizzie's eyes didn't leave Gordo's, and she stepped towards him, smiling nervously. Her eyes flickered down to the ground, and she took his hand in hers shyly, her smile turning slightly more confident when he returned her smile.  
  
Gordo bit his lip and squeezed her hand, not taking his eyes off of hers. The two friends each blushed slightly. Together, they walked holding hands back in the direction of Lizzie's house. Gordo still didn't know what to say to Lizzie. She still hadn't spoken. Gordo became nervous, wondering what she was thinking.  
  
And then she spoke, softly and quietly. The words came out slowly, but they were the words Gordo had been waiting for words to hear. "Gordo, you know how you said you feel about me?" She paused and took a deep breath. "I, well..I feel exactly the same about you." Tears glistened over her brown eyes as she turned to face him and look deeply and nervously into his eyes. "I really, really like you, Gordo. As more than just my best friend."   
  
"Lizzie, whatever happens, I need you to promise me that we'll still be best friends, forever. Best friends means friends forever, and I never want to lose you, ever. You mean so much to me, you have no idea." Gordo smiled at his best friend, and tears formed in his eyes.   
  
Lizzie simply nodded back at him. "But I do have an idea, Gordo. Because I think you mean as much to me as I mean to you." She smiled, still nervous. Gordo smiled back, and the two best friends continued walking to the McGuire house in silence.   
  
They reached the front door of Lizzie's house, and Gordo stood across from Lizzie. Both stared at the ground, wondering what they should do or say next. Lizzie spoke first. "Thanks for everything, Gordo."   
  
Gordo smiled, debating whether or not to kiss her. Breathing in deeply, he stepped forwards slightly, closing the distance between them. He put his arms around her waist gently, and she moved her hands behind his neck slowly.   
  
A nervous expression crossed Lizzie's face, and she looked into her best friend's eyes. "Gordo, I.."  
  
Gordo was nervous, and hesitated a second too many.  
  
The door to the McGuire house opened, and Lizzie drew her hands back from Gordo's neck down to her pockets. Her face turned a crimson color, and she looked at the ground. Gordo also placed his hands in his own pockets, and both turned to face Sam McGuire, Lizzie's father. "Hi, Lizzie! You're just in time for dinner. We're having a special dinner that I made tonight, I know you're going to love it." Lizzie's father smiled, not realizing that he had interrupted anything different between the two friends. "Gordo, you're welcome to stay if you want." He retreated back into the house, closing the door behind him.  
  
Lizzie turned back to face Gordo, and an apologetic expression came over her face. The moment was broken, and she knew she wouldn't get it back, not tonight. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" She asked, nervousness returning.  
  
"I, uh, sure. I mean, I've been alone for so many nights and I haven't really eaten much, you know? Because my mom usually makes dinner and she's gone, so you know, my macaroni and cheese dinners are really all I've been eating lately." Gordo rambled on nervously, opening the front door for Lizzie, and then following her through.  
  
Lizzie sat across from Gordo at the dinner table, admiring his face and the smile that lit his face up. It seemed as if all the tension between the best friends had faded away, and Gordo was back to his normal, cute self. How come Lizzie had never noticed that her best friend was so cute before? His hair, the way it curled, his beautiful deep blue eyes..  
  
Gordo caught Lizzie's gaze and smiled at her. She smiled back, blushing.   
  
All of this didn't go unnoticed, and Jo McGuire sat at the head of the table, noticing the different interaction between her daughter and her lifelong best friend. Sam was as usual, oblivious to anything different.   
  
It had begun to rain outside, complete with a display of thunder and lightning, and the McGuires had decided that it was a nice night for a family movie. The family, plus the addition of David Gordon, who was practically family anyways, sat down in front of the television. Gordo had been shy to sit down beside Lizzie, and she looked slightly upset when he sat down beside her younger brother. She retreated to the floor, grabbing a pillow. Gordo smiled at the cute frown on her face, and he also grabbed a pillow and moved to sit down beside her on the floor.  
  
While watching the movie, the McGuires were oblivious to anything other than the story playing across the television screen, and Lizzie laid her head on Gordo's shoulder. Electricity shot through him, and he got a warm feeling spreading itself across his body like wildfire.   
  
He smiled down at her face and lifted a hand to her head, stroking her hair gently.  
  
After the movie ended, Lizzie had retracted her head from Gordo's shoulder as fast as lightning. It was still a downpour outside, and Jo offered to drive Gordo home. Neither of Lizzie's parents had noticed anything really that dramatically different between Gordo and Lizzie that night. 


	7. Encounters Of The Ethan Species

author's note: i want to thank you guys for sticking with my story, i think i've still got a few more chapters to go! i'll probably end this around chapter ten..if i stick to the plan. there's not a lot of action in this chapter either, but the next chapter should be really awesome, this one was just the set up to the next chapter.   
  
i want to give a few special shoutouts to the frequent reviewers, if you don't mind..thanks, to everyone who's reviewed. you have no idea how much i appreciate your reviews. and i love getting email! if you guys want to email me, feel free..i always respond! i love email. if you don't want to read this, just skip over to the story, i don't mind.   
  
tawny - everwood's one of my favorite shows! i love ephram/amy so much..relient k's awesome! my favorite songs are getting into you, i am understood, for the moments i feel faint.. they're really great, but i haven't had a chance to go buy their newest cd yet. i made lizzie's hair brown because i think hilary looks better with brown hair. hehe. that's why. i don't know if i've reviewed any of your writing, but i really love it..you're awesome!  
  
kobe-mac - thanks for all the great reviews! i'm so glad you keep coming back to this story every chapter, please keep reviewing, you rock. i'm glad you like my story so much. by the way, i really liked "i'm done with this".. you're a great writer!  
  
sayinjinj7 - you too! thank you so much for the chapter by chapter reviews.. you keep coming back, every single chapter..thanks so much! you rock too.   
  
tic-tac - thanks for reviewing this one, and my other story! i love your reviews, you're so awesome. thank you so much for your wonderful comments, they mean so much to me. oh and by the way, i absolutely love your stories, you're an awesome writer!   
  
baby bunnie - you just keep coming back too! i'm so thankful for you awesome people who keep coming back every chapter, it rocks so much to see that i'm keeping everyone's interest with this story.   
  
sunshine belle - awwww, you rock. i love emailing back and forth with you, it's so awesome! i love your stories so much, too. you're an amazing writer. you just rock so much and i'm so glad that you keep reviewing my stories.   
  
gordosgirlie - your comments seriously make me smile so big, you have no idea! and you're a great writer, i love reading your "just friends?" and "goodbye rome, hello home".. i'm not sure if i've reviewed, but i really like your writing. and your comments mean so much to me, thanks for everything.  
  
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Gordo collapsed onto his bed, a smile overcoming his face. He didn't exactly know how it all had happened, but this had been one of the best days of his life. He had just gotten home from Lizzie's house after her mother had driven him home.   
  
He had met her at the park. Confessed his feelings for her to her face, this time. She'd held his hand, the first time he'd ever held her hand the way two people in love hold hands. The words she'd said, told him that she felt the same way about him. Gordo's world had become perfect. They had almost kissed, but they'd hesitated.  
  
Gordo lifted the covers of his bed and crawled in, not caring that he was still dressed in his daytime clothes. Flicking off the lights, he fell asleep with a smile spread across his face. Finally, everything was going David Gordon's way.  
  
After her mother had driven Gordo home, Lizzie had walked up the stairs to her room as if she were in a love-induced daze, a trance. So much had happened that day. Lizzie was exhausted, but still smiling. These past few days had definitely been the best days of her life.   
  
Who would have thought that Lizzie would have fallen in love with her best friend, the guy she'd known ever since she could even remember anything? Certainly not Lizzie, but it had happened. She was head over heels, and this in some way was different than Ethan, Ronnie, Aaron, or Frankie.   
  
This was meaningful, this was real. This was love. Lizzie fell onto her bed, grinning from ear to ear. She closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly, completely satisfied with the perfection of the whole entire day. Finally, everything in Lizzie McGuire's life made sense.  
  
  
  
Gordo woke up the next morning, still smiling from the day before. He stumbled into and out of a hot shower quickly, and shook his dark curls dry. He dressed in a navy blue t-shirt with a white long sleeved shirt underneath, and his favorite pair of jeans, along with his favorite pair of white skateboard shoes.  
  
Finished and ready to face a new day, he sat on his bed and thought about what everything meant. He still hadn't kissed her yet. He hadn't asked her out on a date, and he certainly hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend. Gordo sighed, realizing that he had no idea whether she wanted to take their friendship further or not. Maybe he had imagined the almost-kiss that had almost taken place yesterday?   
  
Gordo wanted their first date to be special, and he wanted everything about it to be special. He knew what he had to do, and what he had to say. He wasn't sure how to say it, and he wasn't sure when to ask her. The time had to be absolutely perfect.  
  
Lizzie woke up later the next morning. She laid in bed, thinking about what had happened in the past few days again. She knew Gordo wanted to be more than just her best friend, but was she ready to be her best friend's girlfriend? Did she want to go out on a date with Gordo? Lizzie wondered what it would be like to kiss her best friend. She sighed, wondering what she wanted.   
  
She got up and got ready for the day, showering and blow drying her brown hair straight and applying some light makeup to her face. Facing her closet, she was presented with a dilemma. What to wear? Somehow, today was different, and Lizzie needed to wear the perfect outfit.  
  
Lizzie looked out the window to be faced with a gray sky and raindrops grazing the glass. She sighed again, and reached for a long sleeved deep red soft sweater that she had bought a few months ago but had never had the perfect opportunity to wear. She paired it with a pair of low rise black pants and a red belt with a silver buckle, along with a silver necklace, simple diamond earrings, and a silver bracelet.  
  
Shaking out her hair, Lizzie faced the mirror and smiled, satisfied with her reflection. Once again, she sat down on her bed, wondering if she should call Gordo or give him a day to himself to think about everything. Deciding that it was maybe good to spend some time apart and think, Lizzie headed downstairs and asked her mother for a ride to the Digital Bean, hoping that she'd see some other friends there. Jo happily agreed to give her a ride, and half an hour later Lizzie was sitting at a table in her favorite hangout, alone.  
  
Lizzie had ordered a strawberry smoothie and was taking her first sip of the drink when someone approached her from behind. She jumped slightly, startled.   
  
"Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie!" The someone placed their hand on Lizzie's shoulder. "What's going on? Haven't seen you all summer!" He took a seat across from her in the once-vacated seat that had faced Lizzie.  
  
She smiled as Ethan sat down, smiling at her. "My summer's going really well, Ethan. How have you been doing?" Lizzie's smile widened as she realized that she wasn't nervous about talking to Ethan Craft anymore. Perfect Ethan, she thought she'd been head over heels for him for years. Now that she had realized her feelings for Gordo, Ethan didn't matter so much to her anymore. Her life was all about David Gordon.  
  
"I'm doin' good, Lizz-ay. What's up with Gor-don? Aren't you guys usually together, you know?" Ethan looked slightly confused, running his hands through his hair.   
  
"We've been hanging out a lot, so I figured it might be nice to give him some time to himself, you know? I mean, he's probably getting sick of me," Lizzie laughed, a nervous tone creeping into her laughter.  
  
Gordo had also decided to go to the Digital Bean that day, and had driven there himself. When he entered, he looked around, hoping to spot someone he knew. Hoping in the back of his mind that he'd see Lizzie. And his wish came true, there she was. Sitting with a guy. Gordo knew that guy. It was Ethan.   
  
He sighed deeply and approached her table, biting his lip. What was she doing here with Ethan? He watched as she laughed at something he'd said. She was twirling her hair around a finger, she was smiling directly at him and looking into his eyes.   
  
Gordo stood at the table. "Hey, Ethan." He paused a second. "Hi, Lizzie." He shoved his hands into his pockets nervously and looked down towards the floor, avoiding Lizzie's eyes. He didn't know what to say to her, he didn't know how to act. For once, Gordo was lost. He didn't have a plan.  
  
Ethan and Lizzie both greeted Gordo. Ethan didn't seem to sense the obvious tension that hung in the air between Lizzie and Gordo, but then again, Ethan wasn't the brightest guy Gordo had ever met. To say that was in actuality, the understatement of the year.  
  
Gordo sat down, and Ethan spoke. "Sorry, Gordon, Lizzay, but I've gotta jet. You know, I've got some stuff to do, and..well, stuff. Yeah, stuff." He paused, and Gordo rolled his eyes. Ethan took a deep breath and stood, turning towards Lizzie. "Hey, Lizzie..Do you want to maybe, go out on a date with me sometime? Like, a movie or something?"  
  
Gordo felt his jaw drop. His eyes retreated their gaze to the floor, and he avoided Lizzie's face at all costs, afraid that he'd see her smile, or that he'd see her eyes sparkle or her finger reach to twirl her hair. In those few seconds Lizzie took to answer them, Gordo felt as if she was taking his heart and stomping all over it.  
  
Lizzie looked at Gordo, and Gordo felt her eyes on him. Painfully, he lifted his eyes to her, sure that his pain was visible in his blue eyes. He looked into her blank, expressionless face. He had no idea what she was going to say. Truthfully, he thought that she'd say yes and jump at the chance to go out with Ethan, her dream guy. One of the most gorgeous guys to ever grace the planet with his presence.   
  
"Actually, Ethan, I'm sorry. I can't do that." Lizzie paused, and a smile slowly spread over her face as she kept her eyes on Gordo's. "I'm already interested in someone else, you know? And I'd really like to see where that goes, so I can't go out with you, Ethan. I guess my heart's already reserved for him, and I think it might be something really special. Maybe you and me can just be friends."   
  
Lizzie reached across the table and grasped Gordo's hand with her own, intertwining their fingers, her eyes still smiling lovingly into Gordo's. Gordo blinked, realizing what she had just said. She'd turned down a date with Ethan Craft, with the possibility of having a romantic relationship with her dorky best friend. She'd turned down Ethan in favor of Gordo.  
  
Ethan smiled at Lizzie and Gordo, obviously not upset, but noticing that Lizzie had taken Gordo's hand in her own. "Hey, Gordon! You finally got it together with Lizzay. Way to go, bro! Good luck to you guys, this is awesome." Ethan ran his hand through his hair and exited the Digital Bean, leaving Lizzie and Gordo alone.  
  
  
  
Gordo stared at Lizzie, shaking his head slightly. "Wow." He paused, gathering up the courage. "I guess, uh..Lizzie, do you want to go on a date with me tonight?"  
  
Lizzie blushed. "I meant everything I said, Gordo. I really want to see where a relationship between us would go, you know? I want to go out on a date with you. I want you to ask me to be your girlfriend. I want to be your girlfriend. I've never felt the way I feel about you about anyone before. I've really fallen for you, and I think you need to know that."  
  
He gaped at her in surprise. "So, I guess I'll pick you up at seven?" 


	8. Disaster

author's notes: i'm soooo sorry that this chapter has taken me so long. i've had major writers block and i wasn't quite sure if i wanted this to go in the direction i had in mind before - it was too predictable and it's all been done before. i wanted to do something a little different with it, so i decided to do that instead. i came up with a different idea tonight, and it took me around two hours to write this. i'd already written two other versions of this chapter, but this one's the best one. there's a little bit of, well actually there's a lot of angst. but have faith in me, dear readers. i will not let you down. i'm nervous about you guys reading this chapter, i really hope you like it.   
  
Lizzie stood in front of her bedroom mirror, examining her appearance and checking to make sure that everything was perfect. Perfect, for her date with her best friend. Their first ever date. Lizzie was beyond excited and sure that she looked beyond fabulous, wearing a red sleeveless shirt that hugged her body, and a flowy simple black skirt that reached down to her knees and flared out slightly. She had chosen a black belt with a silver buckle, a silver necklace, silver bracelet and small diamond earrings to accesorize her outfit. She smiled, slipping her feet into simple red flip flop sandals. Perfect. Flipping her hair, which she had left down and wavy, she giggled. She couldn't wait for the date tonight.  
  
She glanced at the clock on her wall. Six thirty. Gordo was supposed to pick her up at seven. Lizzie sighed in anticipation. What was she going to do with herself while she waited for Gordo to arrive? Lizzie ran down the stairs, tripping slightly on the last few and falling flat on her face. She only laughed. Nothing could ruin this night. Lizzie got up, fixing her skirt, and walked to the couch. She sat down and thought as she waited for him to come over.  
  
Jo McGuire entered the living room and sat down on the couch beside her daughter. "You look very nice tonight, Lizzie," Jo said, taking in Lizzie's appearance. She frowned slightly. "I thought you and Gordo were just going to a movie?"  
  
Lizzie blushed, unintentionally. "I, uh..Yeah. We are. I just felt like getting dressed up, I don't know." Lizzie hadn't told her mother that her and Gordo were going on a date. It just hadn't seemed right to tell her. It was something that Lizzie didn't want to share yet. She didn't know why.  
  
"Well, I won't get in your way. I just wanted to tell you to have a nice time. Your father and I are taking Matt out for dinner, so we'll be out of your way for awhile. See you later, honey." Jo got up from her place on the couch and kissed Lizzie's forehead. "Don't burn the house down while we're gone."  
  
Lizzie smiled. "Don't worry, I'll try not to. See you guys later." She waved goodbye as her family exited the front door, pulling it shut behind them. She tried to hide her excitement, but she felt that it was pointless to hide it at that point. Lizzie couldn't keep the smile that was spreading across her face down.   
  
Seven o'clock came rolling by, finally. Lizzie waited in anticipation, Gordo should have arrived at any moment. Seven came and seven passed. Lizzie sat down at her kitchen table, her head lying at rest in her hands. She had been pacing her kitchen for the past half hour. It wasn't like Gordo to be late. Had he stood her up?   
  
No way. The David Gordon Lizzie knew would never have stood her up. He would have called. He would have came, on time. Something horrible must have happened, Lizzie knew it. And then her thoughts came crashing down on her.  
  
"Who am I kidding?" She said out loud, to nobody but herself. "I've been stood up by my best friend." Warm, salty tears began to run down Lizzie's face and she walked back upstairs, retreating back into her bedroom and hiding underneath the covers.   
  
She had been hiding in there for two hours when the doorbell rang at nine thirty. Reluctantly, Lizzie got up from her bed and crossed the room to her door. On her way there, she noticed that her mascara had ran down her face and the skin beneath her eyes was grey with smudged makeup. She wiped at her eyes with her hands, but it only seemed to smudge her makeup even more. Her perfectly done date hairstyle had gone crazy and fallen apart on her, but she didn't care.   
  
Lizzie walked down the stairs slowly and towards the door. The doorbell rang again and Lizzie heard a thump outside. She wiped a tear from her eyes, still crying at the fact that Gordo just hadn't shown up for their date. Breathing in deeply, she took the final step towards the door and opened it to reveal Gordo sitting on her steps, his back to her. He stared out at the lawn in front of the McGuire house.  
  
He didn't turn around upon hearing the door open. Lizzie stood outside, pulling the door shut behind her. "You." She said it accusingly, the hurt that she had evidently been feeling clear in her tone of voice. "What are you doing here? You're two and a half hours late, you know. You could have called. You got my hopes up. You hurt me, Gordo. You don't know how much I wanted this date to be perfect."  
  
Gordo was silent for a moment, and then turned to face her. Lizzie gasped, taking in his appearance. Gordo's eyes were red and blotchy and his cheeks were stained with tears. Lizzie had never seen her best friend look so distraught in her entire life.   
  
"Gordo, uh. I'm sorry. Forget everything I just said, forget it, I'm sorry." Lizzie babbled on, shocked at the sight of his face.   
  
A sick, twisted smile spread across Gordo's face. He spoke the words loudly, his voice rough. "You wanted this to be perfect? Lizzie, I've had a major crush on you for the majority of my life. I wanted this date for ever. I wanted it more than anything. You wanted perfect? I wanted perfect. And do you know what I got? I got the worst night of my life, Lizzie. The worst thing that has ever happened to me happened on the night I was supposed to go on my perfect date with my perfect best friend. The worst thing on earth."  
  
Gordo took a deep breath, and more tears fell down his face. He collapsed against the railing of the steps that he was sitting on. "It's my parents, Lizzie, my parents. They chose to tell me tonight, as I was going on my date with you, the truth."  
  
Lizzie didn't dare ask. He probably didn't want to talk about it at the moment, it wasn't the time. She took a few steps forward and sat down on the steps right beside him, putting her right arm around his shoulders and pulling him in closer with her left arm. She let his head rest on her shoulders, and he began to heave sobs like Lizzie had never heard before.  
  
"Gordo, I'm here for you." Moments later, Gordo's cries began to subside and Lizzie handed him a blanket to wipe his tears away with. He wiped at his eyes with his hands, and then turned to face Lizzie, biting his lip.  
  
"Thanks, Liz." He leaned towards her, opening his arms.   
  
In response, she fell gladly into his open arms, and she wrapped her own around him, resting her head on his shoulder. She breathed in deeply, feeling his heartbeat. His pulse was racing, and Lizzie wondered why. Now wasn't exactly the time to ask.  
  
After moments, she pulled away from his embrace and looked him in the eyes.   
  
"I'm so sorry for ruining tonight, Lizzie. I know it's all my fault," he whispered, his apologetic voice cracking.   
  
She shook her head. "No, Gordo. Now's not the time."  
  
"I'm so glad you were here for me." Tears formed in his eyes, once again.  
  
The mood seemed to be contagious, and Lizzie found herself wiping her eyes with her hands again. "Oh, Gordo. What are best friends for? I'll always be here for you."   
  
He stared with his blue eyes into her brown eyes. Lizzie became instantly self conscious, realizing that she had makeup smudged all over her face and lowered her hands to her lap. Her head began to fall, as she tried to escape Gordo's eyes.   
  
She felt his fingers touch her face, wiping away her tears with his soft hands. "Lizzie," he whispered.   
  
In response, she leaned away from him and lifted her face so that she could look him in the eyes.   
  
He answered her gaze by leaning towards her, slowly and hesitantly.   
  
For a moment, Lizzie felt as if her heart had stopped. She tried to register in her mind what was happening. Nothing was going to ruin this moment this time. She leaned towards Gordo and with one final glance towards his eyes, she closed her eyes.   
  
She felt her lips meet his, in a perfect movie moment. Electricity shot through her whole body; she'd never felt anything even remotely like this before. She never wanted him to pull away. Everything else around them had stopped. They were the only things that mattered.  
  
Every thought in Gordo's mind had lost his cohesiveness, and he thought of nothing but Lizzie. Nothing but his best friend, whom he was kissing at that particular moment in time. It seemed like it was lasting forever; time was moving slowly. Electricity shot through Gordo's veins and he felt like everything in the world was going to be away.   
  
Breathless moments later, they pulled away simultaneously. Lizzie opened her eyes, and they met Gordo's eyes. His eyes shone with love, and she knew that hers reflected the same intense emotion that his did. Instantly, a smile spread across her face, wide and real.   
  
Gordo didn't know what to feel. He knew that every girl-related dream in his life had come true - he had just kissed Lizzie. That was after everything else in his world had fallen apart. Everything had come crashing down, and then in an instant, Lizzie had made him feel as if he was flying. Pulling away, he felt his world close in on him again and he knew he had to deal with the previous events of the night when everything fell apart.  
  
He breathed in and out slowly. She was probably expecting an explanation. "Lizzie, I'm sorry I couldn't make it for our date tonight. I know I probably hurt you with that and everything, and I hate myself for that. I'm so sorry and I hope you forgive me, but I had a good reason, I promise. I've wanted to date you forever, and I'd finally gotten my chance, but," he paused, "wait. Before I go on with that, I want to tell you that that kiss meant everything to me and I'm so glad that I've finally kissed you. Lizzie, that was the best feeling I've ever had in my life and I wish that I could feel it every day."  
  
Lizzie smiled at him. She wanted nothing more than to lean in again, to kiss him again. To feel his warm, soft lips against hers again, but she held herself back, waiting for Gordo to continue. Whatever he had to say, it sounded like it was important. "I feel the same way, Gordo."  
  
He smiled back at her, weakly. "Lizzie, I was late for my date because my parents told me that they're," he paused, breathing in and out slowly again. "My parents are getting divorced. My dad's going to be staying here and living in the house we have now, but my mom is going to be finding a new place to live."  
  
Lizzie looked at him, confused.   
  
"Lizzie, my parents want me to go move to New York with my mother." 


	9. The Hardest Things

author's note: sorry, haven't updated in awhile. i went on vacation, my computer broke, and i started school. yeah. and there's mild profanity in this chapter, i'm sorry! i had to use it to get gordo's .. anger across. sorry, guys.   
  
Lizzie stared at her best friend, struck absolutely speechless. For once in her life, she had nothing to say. She didn't know what to say.   
  
Gordo had managed to squeak out a few words, and made them go on as long as he could, erasing the awkward silence between them. "My parents came back tonight. They lied to me about that honeymoon thing, they weren't actually having a second honeymoon. They were working out the details of their divorce. They were working out what to do with me." He sighed, taking in a deep breath of the cold night air. "My father doesn't want me here. My mother doesn't really want me either. Trust me, Liz. I tried everything. They won't even let me come up to visit my father on weekends or during holidays. He doesn't want to see me anymore. He wants to start a new life, without his family."  
  
She took one of his hands in hers, and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. She knew the question she had to ask, she knew the words she had to say. She was afraid of the answer he'd give her. She gulped, trying to delay the inevitable asking of the question that had plagued her since his confession. "So." Lizzie bit her lip nervously. "When are you leaving?"  
  
Dropping her hand, he looked away from her, his eyes damp with tears. He didn't want to give her the answer, because he knew she didn't want to hear it. "Tomorrow." He couldn't bear to see her reaction, so he looked away from her troubled eyes. "I'm going to spend all night packing, and I don't leave until tomorrow night around six, so if you want, we can spend the day tomorrow together. If you want."  
  
"Tomorrow? But Gordo, you can't leave tomorrow. I mean, I've known you my whole life. You're my best friend. What am I going to do without you? And, I mean, I was hoping. I mean, I was hoping.." She trailed off, wishing to herself that he knew what she was trying to say.  
  
He thought he might have a clue. It was what he had been hoping, after all. "You were hoping that we could actually be together?"  
  
She nodded wordlessly, her hair falling in her face when her chin dropped.   
  
"I'm sorry, Liz. I didn't plan on this."  
  
"Oh, Gordo. You shouldn't be sorry. I mean, I should be sorry. Your parents are getting a divorce. They're making you move. They're making you give up your whole entire life. I mean, I should be sympathetic to what you're going through. If I was truly a good best friend, isn't that what I'd do? I'd be supportive." She touched her hand to her head in frustration. "I hate to say this, Gordo.. but it's getting late. Maybe you should go home and pack. I mean, so that we can spend some time together tomorrow."  
  
He smiled bitterly in response to her words. "You're the best friend I'll ever have, Liz." Standing up, he turned to walk down her stairs. "See you tomorrow."  
  
Lizzie tried to utter out a slight word of goodbye, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Instead, she turned the opposite way and entered her house, closing the door quietly behind her.   
  
Gordo drove home in the dark, unable to believe all that had taken place in one short night. His parents announcing their plans to divorce, him kissing his best friend. Finally. "My world has fallen down around me. Why me?" Gordo asked, to no one in particular.  
  
Minutes later, he arrived in his driveway. He parked the car and entered the house to the sound of his parents arguing. He sighed, and not caring to announce his presence in the house, headed up the stairs to his bedroom.  
  
He opened the door and stepped into his room, taking in his surroundings. His last night in the room he'd lived in since he was a baby. So many things had taken place since then. And he was going to be putting that all behind him, starting a new life. Too bad that all he wanted was this life, the only thing he couldn't have.  
  
Slamming the door shut behind him, he walked further into his room towards his bed, which was covered in boxes that his parents expected him to put all of his belongings in. The only thing he wanted to take with him to start his new life in New York with was Lizzie, and she couldn't be put in a box. In a fit of newfound rage, he threw the boxes on the floor. He then walked over to his CD player and turned on his favorite Dashboard Confessional album, letting the voice of Chris Carrabba take over his mind.   
  
Moments later, he got up and began throwing his belongings into boxes. Clothes, into the boxes. Pictures, in the boxes. His computer, into a box of its own. CD collection, into the boxes.  
  
In the midst of his packing frenzy, there was a knock at Gordo's door. Gordo's parents entered a second later, apologetic looks on their faces. Gordo rolled his eyes at their "we're-trying-to-pretend-we're-perfect-parents" expressions.   
  
"What do you guys want?" He snapped at them, unable to control his anger. "You've already ruined my life."  
  
Roberta Gordon stepped towards Gordo slowly. "David. Please don't take that tone with us. We know that what we're doing is best for you, and it's best for us. It will make all of our lives so much easier. We know that you think it really stinks right now, but in the long term, you will benefit from this decision."  
  
"Easy for you to say, Mother." Gordo spat the words out at Roberta. "You're not leaving anything you really even give a crap about behind. Me, I'm leaving everything, my whole damn life and you don't even give a shit."  
  
Howard Gordon feigned an angry expression towards his son. "Don't you use those words towards your mother, David."  
  
"What do you care, dad? It's not like you even love her anymore. You don't need to pretend for me anymore. I'm a big kid now, in case you guys haven't noticed." He scowled at both of them.   
  
"David." Roberta spoke in a warning tone, and he could tell that his words had stung both of his parents. He'd never spoken to either of them that way, and he had never wanted to as much as he had then. He couldn't help himself, it just kind of slipped out of his mouth.  
  
Gordo would have none of it. "Leave me alone," he commanded. "I've had enough of you two today. You've ruined my life. Now leave me alone so that I can pack."  
  
Howard looked at Roberta as if he was about to speak to his son, but Roberta flashed him a warning look, and the two of them wordlessly left Gordo's room to sleep in their seperate bedrooms. They shut the door behind them, and Gordo could hear the two start to bicker about him as his mother walked down the stairs to the guest bedroom and his father continued on to the master bedroom upstairs.  
  
He cranked up the volume on his speakers and continued throwing his belongings into the boxes that covered his bed.  
  
After Gordo had left, Lizzie had stumbled onto her bed upstairs and laid there for awhile, staring at the ceiling. She didn't move a muscle when she heard her parents and Matt enter the house.  
  
"Lizzie?" She could hear her mother calling from downstairs.   
  
Lizzie didn't answer. She couldn't say anything. Dried tears streaked her face, and her eyes were red and her face was splotchy, the result of crying out all her tears.  
  
Jo McGuire was at her bedroom door, knocking on the closed door. Upon no response from her daughter, she opened the door slowly and her face took on a concerned expression at the sight of her daughter lying on the bed. "Oh, Lizzie, honey, what's wrong?"  
  
Lizzie sat up and Jo walked over to her bed, sitting down beside her. Lizzie immediately threw her arms around her mother and began to cry on her shoulder. "Gordo, mom..Gordo's moving tomorrow to New York." She blurted out the words between sniffles.   
  
"Oh, honey, that's horrible." 


	10. You Always Say Goodnight

author's note: hey guys, sorry that last chapter took me so long. i hope this one's more satisfying, it's much longer and i think it's a fairly good chapter. the next chapter will be gordo and lizzie's goodbyes, miranda's return, and lizzie telling miranda the news about gordo. chapters to come will involve gordo's new life in new york, lizzie's situation in hillridge without one of her best friends and the love of her life, and that's all i'm going to say about it for now! i'm thinking that this one might be a little bit longer than i said it would - i said it would be over by the tenth chapter and i think i'm still going strong, so maybe it will be more around fifteen chapters long? i hope you guys are still liking this, i think i'm losing some reviewers, but that's alright. if you like it, let me know! i like feedback. here's a guarantee for you guys. this story will have a happy ending. -- love, laynie  
  
The next morning, David Gordon woke up with a start to the sound of his parents yelling at each other. He muttered a few words to himself under his breath and scowled, pulling the covers over his head. He had been awake for around two minutes before he realized that today was the day he was leaving. At six o'clock tonight. He needed to spend as much time with Lizzie as he could.  
  
Gordo sprung out of bed, ignoring the sound of his parents yelling at each other. He took a quick shower and shook his dark brown curls dry, brushed his teeth quickly, and examined his reflection in the mirror, sighing to himself. He certainly didn't see any reason for Lizzie to like him as much as she did. Gordo thought he was maybe average looking, a little bit on the short side. He was wearing a white short sleeved shirt that was just the right size for him - not too baggy, and not too tight. His blue jeans were the same, and he wore them low on his hips with a black belt that had a silver buckle. On his feet, he wore a pair of gray and white skateboard shoes.   
  
Walking out of his bedroom, he grabbed his brown zip up hoodie from an open box beside his door. He checked his watch on his way down the stairs - six thirty. Shrugging, he continued. It was his last day ever in Hillridge; Lizzie wouldn't mind if he got her up a little bit early.  
  
"Mother, father! I'll be out all day with Lizzie and I'm done packing," he yelled to his parents on his way out the door. He didn't wait to hear their response, not caring whether they were planning on letting him go out today or not.  
  
"Be back by four," his mother called, but she spoke only to the closed front door that her son had just exited seconds earlier. "What have I done?" She said quietly to herself.   
  
Lizzie woke up gradually to the early morning sunlight streaming through her windows. The first thing she did when she woke up was wonder when Gordo would be coming over to get her so that they could spend their last day in Hillridge together until they were seperated for however long that they might be seperated.   
  
The day was beautiful and bright, not a cloud in the bright blue sky. It didn't do much to reflect Lizzie's mood. She smiled, a smile with bitter undertones, as she remembered the events that had unfolded the previous night. The feeling of kissing Gordo still hadn't worn off, and she was still filled with an odd giddiness as she remembered the too-brief sensation of his lips on hers. Sparks flew. Fireworks ignited.  
  
She threw her covers off of her and checked her clock. Six thirty in the morning. Maybe Gordo would actually get up early for once so that they could spend some time together. Lizzie staggered over to her window and opened her blinds, pulling the window open. She breathed in the sweet morning summer air, perfect. If only Gordo wasn't leaving, then everything might have been finally perfect and complete.   
  
As she was looking out her window, Lizzie lost track of time and daydreamed. The beginning of this awful summer day had started off so beautifully. The weather was mocking her, and she almost wanted to cry out. Minutes had passed, and Lizzie hadn't noticed a car drive up her driveway.  
  
Gordo opened Lizzie's bedroom door quietly, hoping that she wouldn't be angry that he was at her house so extremely early. He had only wanted to make the best of their final day together. When he saw her standing at the window, he stopped dead in his tracks. Her long blonde hair was flowing behind her in the wind, and she looked almost angelic. Gordo smiled at her back, and then he walked slowly towards her.  
  
He slid both his arms around her waist. She jumped slightly, not expecting the gesture, but smiled as she realized that it was just him.   
  
"Morning," he said quietly into her ear.  
  
She shivered upon the sensation of his lips so extremely close to her ear. She could feel his breathing, slow and steady and warm against the skin of her ear. "Hi," she said. It was a romantic moment for the two of them and she didn't want to ruin it by saying too much.  
  
So she didn't say much. Lizzie turned her head around to face him. She smiled, her eyes locked with his. She tilted her head to one side sweetly and moved one of her hands up to his face, letting her fingers trace along his cheeks, and then slowly move into his hair.   
  
His arms still fully grasping her waist, he leaned towards her, smiling at her. He then closed his eyes after seeing her do the same. Their lips met in a slow, chaste kiss. Yes, it was still the same as yesterday night - amazing and perfect in every single way possible. He still felt the fireworks, the sparks. Complete chemistry.  
  
Hesitantly, he pulled away and smiled into her face.   
  
She looked down at the floor bashfully, and then backed slowly away from Gordo, taking some clothes out of her closet on her way out to the bathroom. "Wait here, I'll try to be really fast."  
  
Gordo smiled. "Sure."  
  
An hour later, Lizzie emerged from the bathroom. Gordo smiled at her apperance. He couldn't believe that she had chosen him - she was simply breathtaking. Today, she was dressed in a pair of low rise gray pants that hugged her form, black skateboard shoes, a longsleeved plain white shirt, silver necklace, and light gray belt with a silver buckle. Her hair was soft and curly and fell past her shoulders in large waves. She was beautiful.  
  
"Are you hungry? We can go have breakfast before we leave. My parents are awake and everything." She paused, thinking about what she had just said. "What are we going to tell them?" Lizzie bit her lip, nervously.  
  
"What do you mean, what are we going to tell them? I'm moving away and you wanted to spend one last day with your best friend. I mean, that is really all I am, just your best friend." Gordo looked down, slightly dejected.  
  
Lizzie looked apologetic. "Oh, Gordo. You're so much more than just my best friend, you have been for a while. I just wish we could have realized that we felt the same about each other before you're moving away halfway across the country. Long distance just isn't my thing. And I don't want a breakup today at six because you're leaving. One day just isn't enough, Gordo. I need more time."  
  
Gordo nodded, and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of her bedroom and towards the stairs. They walked down to Lizzie's kitchen hand in hand, each of them letting go when they saw Jo and Sam McGuire sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
"Hi, Lizzie, Gordo," Jo said to the two. "Gordo, you're sure here early. It's not even eight yet!"  
  
"Actually, Mrs.McGuire, I'm leaving tonight for New York, so I wanted to spend as much time with Lizzie today as possible, because we won't have any time together when I'm not here. I don't know when I'll ever get to visit or anything." Gordo looked down at the floor.  
  
"Uh, mom? I'm not really that hungry. Are you hungry, Gordo?" Upon seeing Gordo shake his head, Lizzie turned to her parents with a smile. "We're going to leave now. I'll be back later. I don't really know when yet."  
  
Jo McGuire smiled. "Okay, honey." She paused, turning to Gordo. "Gordo? If I don't see you again, I just wanted to say goodbye. It was so nice having you around all the time. We almost thought of you as a sort of second son to us, and we'll miss you being around the house." She turned to him and engulfed him in a hug, sniffling. "Have a great time in New York, okay, honey?"  
  
"Yeah. Thanks, Mrs.McGuire." Gordo smiled. Lizzie's mother had always been so nice to him, almost like a second mother.  
  
"If you ever come back and you need a place to stay, feel free to come here, okay?" Gordo nodded, and Jo continued. "Yeah, see you two later. Lizzie, please call and check in later today, alright?"  
  
Lizzie nodded. "We really do have to get going. See you tonight!"  
  
  
  
Gordo and Lizzie left the McGuire household and started towards Gordo's car which was parked in Lizzie's driveway haphazardly. Gordo turned the car on as soon as Lizzie had gotten in on the passenger side, but Lizzie wasn't about to let him back out of the driveway just yet. She smiled to herself and then leaned towards Gordo, kissing his cheek softly and pulling away back to her seat quickly.  
  
He felt a red tinge spread across his cheeks. "What was that for?" he asked curiously.   
  
She smiled, looking out the window. "Nothing," she said, completely nonchalant.  
  
"So where do you want to go today? Is there anything you really want to do?" Gordo asked her. Since it was their last day together for awhile, he figured he'd make it as great for her as he possibly could. He wanted this to be a day that they'd remember for a long time, to make up for the time they'd be missing together when he moved to New York.   
  
"Anything. As long as I'm with you." Lizzie smiled, and then thought about what she had just said. "Ouch, that was a pretty bad cliche there. Oh, Gordo! I'll go anywhere as long as I'm with you!" She mocked her own words, a playful tone in her voice.   
  
Gordo's car sped along the paved road at the speed limit. "Do you think you could get your parents to relocate to New York?" He stopped, a bitter smile spreading itself across his face. "I'm sorry, Lizzie. We should try to ignore the fact that after six o'clock tonight, I'll be out of your life forever."  
  
Sighing, Lizzie touched Gordo's hair. "You shouldn't be so pessimistic about this. Maybe next year your parents will have calmed down with all this and you'll be allowed to move back to Hillridge. After senior year, I'll be eighteen and so will you. Then we can do whatever we want without worrying about what they'll say. Gordo, you're not out of my life forever. I hope you understand that I'm not going to just go and forget you when you're gone."  
  
The silence in the car was unbearable for the next few moments. Out of nowhere, Gordo spoke again quietly. "I could never forget you, Lizzie. Ever. I mean, no matter how many friends I do or don't make in New York, you'll still be my best."  
  
Lizzie looked out the window in contemplation, not knowing if she should ask him something or not. She decided against it and kept quiet. Seconds later, she plastered a smile on her face and turned to Gordo, smiling fakely. "Thanks. It means so much to me."  
  
Gordo and Lizzie spent a wonderful day together, sharing everything together. It would be their last for awhile, so they tried to do everything that they could possibly think of. Laughter and smiles were shared, as well as tears and regrets of the past years of their lives together. Gordo and Lizzie had never been apart for very long, and Gordo's moving away was going to be extremely hard on Lizzie, not to mention Gordo himself. He'd always thought that he had the perfect family, and now that beautifully built up illusion was destroyed, murdered, though he still had the perfect best friend. The only thing missing in their perfect day was their other best friend, Miranda Sanchez. Lizzie and Gordo had agreed that Lizzie would tell Miranda the news when Miranda got back, so she wouldn't worry Miranda while she was in Mexico.   
  
The day passed by all too quickly, and before they knew it, they were pulled into Gordo's driveway at four thirty. The movers had already taken Gordo and his mother's furniture and belongings on the way to New York, and Gordo and Lizzie sat in Gordo's car, neither of them speaking because they were afraid of the words that they thought might be said.  
  
Finally, Lizzie opened the door and headed into the house. Reluctantly, Gordo followed right behind her. They entered together and Gordo's parents, Roberta and Howard, were sitting together on the couch in silence and complete peace. His parents looked up when they heard Gordo enter with Lizzie. Gordo stood wordlessly, facing his parents.   
  
"We're sorry, Gordo," Roberta said quietly. "Your airplane bags are right by the door. We're leaving right away, and Lizzie can come to the airport with us if she wants to. Your father will be driving us there, and he will drive Lizzie home."  
  
Gordo's expression remained unchanged. "Fine." He started up the stairs to his bedroom silently. When Lizzie didn't follow, he motioned to her to follow him, so she shot one more distraught gaze at the Gordons and followed her best friend up to his old bedroom.  
  
The door was closed, and so Gordo turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. The room was completely empty and devoid of Gordo's personality and identity. Together, they stood alone in the middle of the room that he'd grown up in. Lizzie knew she didn't have to say anything, and though Gordo didn't speak, Lizzie knew he just needed her to be there with him.  
  
He turned around to face her and she silently opened her arms to him. He gladly fell into them, and she sighed. She couldn't cry anymore, and she didn't want to right then. Gordo needed her to be strong for him, and so she did.  
  
Moments later, Gordo and Lizzie released their embrace and Gordo started walking out of the room with his lifelong best friend, turning off the light and shutting the door behind him on his way out.   
  
Still silent, they walked down the stairs and out the open front door and right into Gordo's father's car. The summer air was suffocating, and the silence was defeaning but there were no words to be spoken. Lizzie's eyes watered. The two elder Gordons got in the car and Howard Gordon began driving to the airport, where Gordo would leave Lizzie for longer than she had ever been left by him ever before. 


	11. And Then It All Ends

author's notes : nobody's still reading this because it's been over three months since i last updated, but if anyone is.. merry christmas. 'tis the season, eh.   
  
so it's short, and this is probably quite sucky terrible horrible writing and i'm probably capable of much more, seeing as i haven't wrote lizzie mcguire fic since i last updated, and i also haven't watched lizzie mcguire since i last updated either.. but i hope whoever does read this likes it. somehow i need closure on this sometime in the near future. eh. if you guys like gilmore girls, i started a gilmore girls fanfic called "the greatest fall" that's a trory that i'm going to be updating with a new chapter soon. and yeah, this probably won't be the last chapter of this, if i ever get around to writing another, there'll be more chapters because i wouldn't just leave it like this. anyways, happy holidays! love, laynie  
  
The ride to the airport was much longer than the actual twenty minutes that it took to get there, or so it seemed. No words were spoken from the time that Howard Gordon's car departed from the McGuire's driveway to the time when Howard Gordon's car entered the expansive area of the airport parking lot.   
  
Gordo got out of the car first, grasping Lizzie's hand and pulling her across the seat towards the door, and grabbing his backpack with his free hand, slinging it over his shoulder in a graceful motion. The air had become slightly cold with the passing of the summer day and the sky was dark and dotted with flickering stars. Lizzie shivered, squeezing Gordo's hand tighter, as if he would just fade away into the black night sky if she loosened her grip.   
  
Lizzie didn't know what to say to Gordo. Nothing could make this situation any better for either of them, and she knew that any pain she was feeling at the moment was worse for Gordo. His parents were divorcing each other, and his father was dragging him halfway across the country - away from his friends and everything he loved, everything he knew. She couldn't do anything to make him feel better. Lizzie had never felt so useless as she did at that moment in her whole entire life.  
  
Minutes later, they stopped inside the airport doors, Lizzie and Gordo's hands still joined. Around them, people milled around - some sobbing in despair, some overjoyed with happiness. Lizzie, Gordo, and Gordo's parents remained silent. Mr. Gordon's face held nothing; he was completely expressionless. Lizzie glanced at Gordo's facial expression, hoping to be able to figure out exactly what he was feeling. His eyes scared her; his eyes were full of anger, pain, sadness, desperation.   
  
She knew that her eyes were trying, and failing, not to cry. She could feel the sharp hint of tears in her nose, and she tried to hold them back. Lizzie knew that crying wasn't going to help Gordo. Crying wasn't going to make his father decide that he could stay here. Crying wasn't going to keep Gordo in her life.   
  
She rested her head on his shoulder, keeping her hand grasped onto his as if she held on for dear life. Howard Gordon walked away with Roberta, presumably to find out where the departures gate was situated. Gordo turned his eyes to look down on the girl rested on his shoulder. He could feel her warm tears burning through the fabric of his shirt, but he didn't mind. He was just at a loss for words.   
  
He used his free hand to pull her in closer towards him, and she stepped forward carefully in response, her head still firmly planted on his shoulder, shielding her eyes from him. She didn't want him to see her cry. He didn't want to make her cry, and he didn't know what to say. So he didn't say anything, he just held her. He knew that that was all she needed. No words were enough.  
  
Howard Gordon returned to find his son with his arms wrapped around Lizzie, and her body pressed against his, her hand still holding onto the hand that wasn't stroking her long blonde hair. He looked at his son disapprovingly, but didn't say anything of the situation that Gordo was in with his lifelong best friend. He could tell that it wasn't the right time to discuss Gordo's relationship with Lizzie. A small, sad smile spread across Roberta's face.  
  
"Gordo," his father said sternly.   
  
In response, Lizzie pulled her head away from Gordo's shoulder and looked away behind her, her hand still holding Gordo's tightly. Gordo let his hand that been on stroking her soft hair fall to the pocket of his favorite pants, and he looked straight at his father, challenging him to keep speaking.  
  
Howard Gordon could sense his son's displeasure with him, but he continued to speak. "Your flight leaves in an hour. We need to be at gate 64A right now. Lizzie can walk part of the way with us, but then when we get to the gate, you and your mother will go in to catch your plane and I will drive your friend home."  
  
Gordo glared at his father, but nodded. His mother shot him a sympathetic glance, and she smiled softly at Lizzie. Howard turned and walked towards the main departures gate. Roberta gave him a few meters of a head start, and then picked up her own carry on luggage and followed, Lizzie and Gordo leaving as a pair a few feet behind his mother.  
  
The walk to the main departures gate was in complete silence, and Lizzie's hand still held her best friend's. She wasn't ready to let him go. He couldn't leave her, he couldn't do this to her. She shook her head, as if these thoughts could fall out with a simple shaking. He wasn't doing anything to her. She was being selfish.   
  
The main departures gate loomed in front of them, as if it was the end of their lives.  
  
  
  
Gordo's parents stopped first, waiting for Gordo and Lizzie to catch up. Roberta smiled at Lizzie and gave her a quick hug, whispering a goodbye in her ear as she did, and then told Gordo that she'd wait for him at 64A so that they could get on the plane together, and Gordo nodded in response. Howard gave his son an awkward hug, and said a firm, "goodbye, son." To Lizzie, he said that he'd be waiting for her in the car back in the parking lot when she was finished saying goodbye.  
  
When Howard turned and walked out of his son's life, Lizzie and Gordo were finally alone. His mother was waiting for him at the gate, presumably she was already through the security measures. Lizzie's hand stayed firmly grasped in Gordo's, and she turned slowly to face him, her eyes threatening to cloud over with tears again.  
  
Gordo took her other hand with his. "Lizzie," he began. His voice was thick and his throat dry. He didn't know the right words to say to her. He loved her. He was in love with her. And he knew he would be for awhile. He didn't want to have to get over her. "Lizzie, I'm sorry."   
  
She smiled at him behind her tears. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. I've shared the best years of my life with you. We have so many memories, Gordo. And I'm never going to forget you, not even close." She stepped closer to him, closing the distance between them. "I love you so much, Gordo.."  
  
And he didn't hesitate. "I love you too, Liz." Smiling down at her, he tilted his head and closed his eyes, leaning towards her. She smiled in response and her face leaned towards his, and they kissed, a kiss that neither of them would forget in a long, long time. Everything other than Lizzie and Gordo was completely blocked out in a few mere moments that seemed much too short as Lizzie and Gordo lost themselves in each other.   
  
She knew what is was to love someone. She knew what it was to know the feeling that people had when they said they'd die for someone else. He knew what it was, the definition of the word love. Love was something completely amazing and unexplainable, something beautiful. Something that he had found in Lizzie, love.   
  
He pulled away from her, breathless and reluctant. He had a plane to catch. "I'll never forget you, Liz."  
  
She nodded, and tears began to fall down her face. He wiped them away with a soft finger, his face wrought with sadness and anguish.  
  
The words seemed trivial to Lizzie, but she had to say them. "Keep in touch, okay, Gordo?"   
  
He nodded, as if it was implied in the previous sentiment.   
  
She let go of his hand. Watched it drop to his side, watched it reach into his pocket to pull out his plane ticket, his one way ticket away from her, as he stepped away from her, not turning his back. The security guard opened his mouth to speak with Gordo, and he turned his back on her to speak back to the guard, words that Lizzie couldn't decipher. She was too far away.  
  
She couldn't let her last words be so silly. "I love you, Gordo," she called out to his back, hoping that he'd hear her. "I love you!"  
  
He did, of course. He turned around and smiled at her, a memory that Lizzie would replay in her mind for the rest of her life. He smiled, and she could see tears glisten in his blue eyes. She felt the tears in his eyes in her own, she knew that they were streaming down her face and she didn't care.  
  
He was being shuffled away from her by the guards, he was leaving. He was leaving her and she wanted to run back to him, she wanted to catch up to him. She wanted to hang on to him and never let go, she wanted him to stay with her forever. Her feet wouldn't move. She was glued to the floor. And she was crying, she was sobbing.  
  
Gordo would never forget that sight, he would never forget her tears or her final admission of her love to him.   
  
A final step, and the guard closed the gate. She stood, staring blankly.  
  
He was gone. Time stood still. 


End file.
